Return of Battle City: Wandering Souls
by Time Mage
Summary: Set 100 years since Battle City, where a small group must fight to find their fates. Final chapter! Kai and Bakura end their duel and the Battle City Tournament is decided. Epilogue posted! Story ended!
1. Ultimate Clash

Well, here I am with another story. But this one has some very unique characteristics. For one, I'm Co-Authoring with my friend, Edgar. Next, this story is 100 Years since Battle City (For another good story about that, check out Aldea's 100 Years After Battle City). Now, here we go!

Disclaimer: Neither Edgar, nor I, Time Mage, owns Yu-Gi-Oh!

  


Return of Battle City: Wandering Souls

Ultimate Clash!

Nearly one hundred years have passed since the last major Duel Monsters Tournament. The God Cards have disappeared, and the Millennium Items have been hidden for decades, waiting in the shadows. However, the Items will never be gone forever, refusing to leave the world that they are a part of. 

***

A small wind rushed across the ground, carrying dust with it. The streets of Domino were barren and crumbling. Two boys stared each other in the eye, determination blazing in their eyes.

"I've got two Locator Cards, so I'll wager only one against you." The one on the left hand side stated calmly. He was younger than his opponent, no older than sixteen. His hair was blond and spiked into small locks that fell against his scalp. He was dressed in blue jeans, while his shirt was red, hanging open over a black t-shirt. 

  


"Same here." The other responded. He was tall, nearly six feet, and nearing seventeen years of age. He wore a white t-shirt that was almost completely covered by a black vest that he let hang open, blowing in the breeze, while his light-weight black pants tugged in an attempt to escape with the wind. He held out his left arm and his white Duel Disk activated, the holographic projectors releasing and lighting up in the sides, lining the field, while the Hologram Display drives clicking together. His opponent did the same. "I'm Kai Kaethan, by the way."

  


"Kevin Hunter, and I am honored to face you."

  


"Duel!" they simultaneously shouted, drawing a five-card hand each. Their Duel Disks both clocked up to four thousand Life Points. 

  


LP: Kai-4000/Kevin-4000

  


"I'll go first." Kevin offered as he drew a sixth card, Kai nodding in agreement. "I'll set one card face down," he began, sliding the card into the Dueling System, a brown backed card appearing in front of him. "Then I summon Sangan in defense mode." Another card appeared, but face up, and a flash of light covering it as a small ball of tan fur with three large yellow eyes and small acid green appendages appeared. (1000/600). "That ends my turn."

  


"A Sangan." Kai muttered slowly, drawing his card. "I see. Well then, I'll summon the Retrained Celtic Guardian, in attack mode!" The new monster was slightly taller than Kai, but had a much broader body, covered in leather and steel armor. His eyes were a yellow, very similar to Sangan's, but his hair was yell, mostly covered by a thick skull cap. In its right hand it wielded a broadsword. (1400/1000). "And I'll attack your Sangan with it!" The elf charged across the field and slashed down, splitting the Sangan in half.

  


"Then I'll end my turn by setting two cards face down." Twin brown backed cards appeared between Kai and his sword wielder.

  


"You of course know Sangan's special ability?" Kevin asked.

  


"You're allowed to search you deck for a monster with up to 1500 attack points." Kai confirmed.

  


"Exactly." Kevin laughed as he pulled his deck loose and began to shuffle through it. He quickly decided on his monster and then rapidly shuffled his deck before sliding it back into the Duel Disk. "And now I'll draw, fallowed by a monster in defense mode. That'll end my turn." Kevin smiled as anther card appeared on his field.

  


Kai picked up his card nervously. 'If I attack, it may be a trap. He most likely chose one of two things with his Sangan. First, it's a monster with a special ability that'll be activated when I attack. Or two, it has a very high defensive power, which will seriously hurt my Life Points.' He glanced at his new card and smiled wide.

  


"I activate Card of Sanctity." He said, slipping the new card into the Duel system and pressing a button to activate it.

  


"What does that do?" Kevin asked bewildered.

  


"Card of Sanctity allows us both to draw until we each have six cards in our hand."

  


"Well, as much as I'd love a new hand, I can't risk you getting anything useful, so I activate Magic Drain!" Kevin's trap card rolled up into Kai's view, a bright light bursting from it. "With this trap card, I can negate your magic card." Out of the light sprung a pale green figure that seemed weak and under nourished. It latched onto Kai's Card of Sanctity and began to try and absorb it energy. However, as it seemed to be growing stronger, it disappeared altogether. "What?" Kevin shouted in confusion.

  


"Magic Drain is powerful and effective, but it can be countered if I discard one magic card from my hand, such as the Giant Trunade I just discarded." Kai explained as Kevin stared into his eyes, a smile appearing. 

  


"You surprise me, Mr. Kaethan." He chuckled. "I was hoping that I could fool you by leaving that bit of information out. Now I see that I shouldn't have underestimated you."

  


"Nor I you. Now, let us get serious."

  


"Agreed."

  


"Now then, I draw three cards for Card of Sanctity, while you draw only one." Kai said with a grin. "Then I play my Y Dragon Cannon, in attack mode." The new monster was red and seemed to be made of metal plating. It had a small body with a long neck that extended forward, ending in a serpent head, two sapphire blue eyes shimmering above the large mouth. Small bat-like wings stretched forward on either side, giving it a completed dragon look. (1500/1600) 

  


"Now my Dragon Cannon will attack!" he commanded. The mechanical monsters jaws opened wide, revealing a thing gun barrel. A blast of blue lightning extended out of the monster and struck Kevin's face down card, a sphere of electricity enclosing and covering Kevin's monster, which flipped over to show a monster that was truly just a small ball of gray mass. It exploded, Kevin grinning happily all along.

  


"That was my Giant Germ." Kevin began to explain before Kai could even ask. "Although relatively weak, it has a rather useful effect."

  


"And that would be…?" Kai began his question, his words trailing.

  


"When Giant Germ is attacked, it will inflict 500 points of damage to your Life Points," Kai stared wide-eyed at his Duel Disk as his Life Points dropped from 4000 to 3500. "Next, I'm allowed to search my deck for two more Giant Germs to take its place." Kai watched in horror as two more of the colorless amebas appeared in defense mode. 

  


"Funny that these cards, like a plague, spread and multiply as they are fought, allowing for the stronger to rise."

  


"Very interesting." Kai jested with a smile. "I'll set one more card face down and end my turn."

  


LP: Kai-3500/Kevin-4000

  


"No attack?" Kevin inquired. "If you don't attack, you leave me with two monsters to sacrifice this turn."

  


"Very true, but I'll take my chances with an attack I can block over direct damage, which I can't counter." Kai reasoned.

  


"Suit yourself." Kevin shrugged. "Now I'll sacrifice my two Giant Germs for my Hyozanryu!" The two balls of mass disappeared and were replaced by a tall dragon that was a brilliant light blue, yet there was a transparent white mixed in. It seemed to be made of a rough-edged diamond. Its head was thin and pointed, with a single horn extending upward out of its snout, while two more out of the back of its head. Extending out of its back were two wings of the same jagged diamond as the rest of its body. (2100/2800). "Now my dragon, attack! Destroy his retrained Celtic Guardian!" Kevin commanded. The dragons mouth opened and a small ball of energy appeared, growing in size. "Attack!" The dragon released the blast, which completely engulfed the swordsman.

  


However, when the smoke had cleared, the sword wielder was still standing strong, its sword tightly clasped in its hands. 

  


"What the...How?" Kevin gasped.

  


"The Retrained Celtic Guardian has a special effect." Kai explained. "It cannot be destroyed by a mosnter with more than 1900 attack points. I still take battle damage," he glanced at his Duel Disk, which ticked down to 2700. "But that means I have an everlasting barrier between you and my Life Points."

  


"Fine then. I end my turn." Kevin muttered.

  


"Then I'll gladly go." Kai smiled. "I summon a monster in defense mode, switch my two monsters to defense mode, and end my turn."

  


"Well then, I guess I have little choice but to attack your face down monster." Kevin sighed. "After all, attacking your Guardian wouldn't achieve much, and I think I can do more with that face down card in comparison to attacking that Dragon. So go Hyozanryu, attack with Thunder Burst!" The dragon charged its energy high and then released, incinerating Kai's monster. What was revealed was a small silver pod with a large green lens.

  


"That's my Cyber Jar." Kai explained. "And it is one of the most powerful cards in the game. It destroys all monsters on the field, and then we each draw four cards. Then we summon all level four or lower monsters to the field."

  


"I know." Kevin said, sounding annoyed. He watched as an immense explosion covered the field and destroyed Kai's two monsters and Kevin's one dragon. They then both pulled five cards from their decks and placed them on their Duel Disks, large holograms of each appearing. "You've got Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, Skilled Dark Magician, Mystical Space Typhoon, Spell Shield Type-8, Dust Tornado, and another Mystical Space Typhoon." he read.

  


"And you have," Kai analyzed each card. "Riryoku Field, Nightmare Steel Cage, Dragon Dwelling in the Cave, Spear Dragon, and...." His voice stropped in shock. He continued to stare at the card, his focus intense, yet he seemed ready to faint.

  


Kevin smiled with satisfaction of how his last card had surprised so effectively. "Yes," he began, smiling wide. "A Blue Eyes White Dragon."

  


"How?" Kai stammered.

  


"It wasn't easy, trust me on that. It took me nearly five years to hunt it down, and then about six months to win it from the guy that had it before I did. I entered Battle City in hopes of finding the other two."

  


"Who are you, some decedent to Seto Kaiba?" Kai demanded.

  


"No, just a skilled collector."

  


"Well, I think I know what card I'll be walking away from this Duel with." Kai said with a hearty laugh. "But you'll just have to wait and see my rarest card."

  


"Fair enough." Kevin nodded. "Now my Dragon Dwelling in the Cave is summoned in defense mode, while I'll summon my Spear Dragon in attack mode." A young, small dragon with turquoise scales appeared, laying on its belly, while a small, blue dragon with a manila stomach and a large horn extending out of its face began to hover over Kevin's field, poised for attack. "Then I'll set one card face down and end my turn."

  


"Very well." Kai said as he drew a card. "I'll set two card face down and the I'll use this Mystical Space Typhoon I just drew to destroy your trap card." A swirl of wind emerged around Kevin's single face down card, which began to shake violently. Finally, a bolt of lightning reached down into the monsoon and struck the card, blowing Kevin's Riryoku Field apart. "And my magic card will not only destroy your trap, but it also triggers my Skilled Dark Magician's special ability." Kai smirked.

  


"What special ability?" Kevin demanded, raising an eyebrow. 

  


"Whenever a magic card is played, my Magician will receive one magic counter. Once he has three magic

counters, I'll be able to summon one of my most powerful monsters. But for now, I'll sacrifice my Ghost Destroyer to summon my Chaos Command Magician!" The blue robed spell caster dissolved and reformed as a taller figure in black robes lined with gold, a long ebony staff in hand. (2400/1900) "And I'll attack your Spear Dragon; Chaos Curse!" The mage extended his staff towards the sky as blasts of black lightning reached out of the sky and obliterated the blue lizard. "That ends my turn."

  


LP: Kai-2700/Kevin-3500 

  


Kevin drew a card and then glanced at his hand. "I'll summon a monster in defense mode. Plus, I'll activate my Heavy Storm magic card!" A large gust of wind began to pick up, spinning around both players as Kai's four face down cards began to shake and tremble.

  


"I'm not gonna let you!" Kai shouted, pressing one of the switches on his Duel Disk. One of the cards lifted itself, revealing a golden circle with Gaelic symbols scratched into it appeared. A purple vapor began to seep out of the ring and swirl in the opposite direction of the wind, soon canceling the storm. "By discarding one card from my hand, I can disarm your magic card. So I'll discard this, my Z Metal Tank." Kai slipped the card into his Graveyard, which began to pull the card in. "And by using your magic card, you've also added a magic counter to my Skilled Magician."

  


"You mean it also gains counters for my magic cards?!" Kevin asked in disbelief.

  


"Exactly. Now, can I go?" Kai inquired. Kevin nodded. "Good. I draw." he glanced at the new card before slipping it into his Duel Disk. "I activate Card Destruction!" he said, folding his hand together and setting it in his Graveyard. 

  


"We both discard our hands and draw a new hand of the same number of cards. So I draw two cards, and you draw six." Kevin clenched his teeth as he folded his cards together and shoved them into his Duel Disk, and then drew the required cards. "And that makes three magic counters. So now, Skilled Dark Magician, I sacrifice you to summon," The sorcerer disappeared in a flash of light and was replaced by a tall figure in robes of similar make to the Chaos Magician, but purple, while he held an aquamarine stave. "The Dark Magician!" (2500/2100) "Now Dark Magician, attack his defense monster! Dark Magic Attack!" The magician extended his staff towards the brown backed, a wave of bright neon light rushing towards it, but then bounced off harmlessly before it turned and fell upon Kai. "What was that?"

  


"That would be my ultimate defense, the Big Shield Guardna!" Kevin laughed in triumph. "And with a defensive power of 2600, you can't break through! In fact, you just lost yourself 100 Life Points."

  


LP: Kai-2600/ Kevin-3500

  


"True." Kai admitted. "But your Guardna has one major weakness. It switches to attack mode every time it successfully fends off my attacks. Which means next turn I'll be able to seriously damage you life points!" 

  


"Shows how much you know." Kevin grinned. "I'll now activate Monster Reborn to revive my Blue Eyes White Dragon!" he shouted, slapping the card onto the card reader. The great leviathan sudden erupted from the green magic card that had appeared. It's blue and white scales shimmering while its solid sapphire eyes glared down on my magicians. "Then I'll summon the Lord of Dragons, in attack mode!" Kevin's new monster was a man in armor that appeared to be made of dragon hide, while a blue cape began to flap in the wind. "And I'll use this Flute of Summoning Dragon to summon two more dragons to the field." The next magic card was that of a long gold pipe with a dragon head carved into the end. The capped figure snatched it out of the air and blew hard, which then was allowed by two more dragons appearing. The first being small and blue, hovering in the air by way of two small wings. "Sapphire Dragon." (1900/1600) Kevin introduced. "And then Luster Dragon!" (2400/1400) The next monster was green, seeming to be made of emerald. It's head was pointed and its wings wide. "That gives me an attack force of four monsters, plus my Guardna's overwhelming defensive power." he chuckled, turning the card side ways. "Now my Blue Eyes, attack! Destroy the Dark Magician!"

  


The dragon opened its jaws, revealing a maw of jagged teeth. A star of white and blue began to form, but quickly transferred to a beam of white light that reached towards Kai's monsters.

  


"I'll activate my Negate Attack trap card, stopping your attack and ending your turn!" Kai sighed as he watched his trap card come to life and form a wall between the attack and his monsters. "That is, unless you want to use any magic or traps cards still."

  


"Not right now." Kevin grinned. "But soon, I'll have you on your knees. Nothing can save you from some of the greatest monsters in the entire game!"

  


"We'll see." Kai replied, rather calmly as he picked his new card. "I'll set this card face down, and end my turn by switching both of my monsters to defense mode."

  


"Very well." Kevin smiled as he drew his new card. "I now play Pot of Greed."

  


"I don't think so!" Kai replied, activating another of his trap cards. "My Spell Shield Type-8 allows me to discard one card from my hand to negate the activation of one of your magic cards. So goodbye Blade Knight, and he'll take your Pot of Greed with him." Kai said, dropping the card into the Graveyard. "Anything else?"

  


"Yes, as a matter of fact." Kevin smirked. "Luster Dragon, attack and destroy his Chaos Magician!" The green beast opened its mouth as green flames began to lick at his tongue while forming together. "Burst Stream!"The flames exploded from its mouth, quickly consuming and burning the Chaos Command Magician. "Then my Blue Eyes will attack your Dark Magician!" The white blast began to lance towards the mage again.

  


"Yet again, I'm not going to let you!" Kai shouted, activating his newest face down card. A pair of cups appeared in front of the magician, the first one absorbing the beam. "My Magic Cylinders trap will take your attack and turn it back on one of yours." The light began to transfer into the second cylinder. "And I'll aim for your Lord of Dragons! The attack was released and struck Kevin's monster, which withered in pain before disappearing. "That should help to even the score."

  


LP: Kai-2600/ Kevin-1700

  


"Fine." Kevin growled as he set two cards.

  


"Then I'll go." Kai said, drawing a card. "And I'll start by destroying your two face down cards with my two set Dust Tornado's!" Kai's two cards both rose up, a cyclone of wind reaching from each, striking Kevin's two set cards, which revealed themselves to be Seven Tools of the Bandit and Imperial Order. "That was close." Kai sighed in relief.. "Then I'll set this card face down, and I'll switch my Dark Magician to attack mode, and end my turn by attacking your Sapphire Dragon!" Kai's mage released another wave of light, which overpowered and destroyed the blue creature.

  


LP: Kai-2600/ Kevin- 1100

  


"You fool!" Kevin shouted in disbelief. "Your monster is five hundred points weaker than my monster. Which means one of two things. One: You're trying to destroy yourself. Or two, and far more likely, you've set up a trap for my dragon. Am I right?"

  


"Maybe." Kai said with an offhand shrug.

  


"Well, I'm not going to take that risk. So I'll first summon my Kamouri Dragon, and then set this card before attacking." Kevin grinned as a new brown backed card appeared. Then his dragon began to power up for another attack.

  


"I activate Shadow Spell!" Kai shouted as black chains sprung forth out of the card that had raised itself up. The shackles began to wrap around the beast, which then began to lessen the ferocity of its attack. "That will keep you from changing to defense mode, plus it will lower your attack points by 700." Kai said as the dragons power dropped to 2300.

  


"You're right." Kevin smiled. "My attack points will be lowered, but not low enough." 

  


"What do you mean?" Kai demanded, his eyes widening.

  


"I activate my placed magic card, Dragon Nails!" The Blue Eyes White Dragons claws began to glow, shifting in shape and size. When the light had gone, the taloned hands had been covered by thick steel gauntlets. "This card will raise my monsters attack power by 600, all the way up to 2900. That should be enough to block your attack and destroy your Magician." As he said this, the magicians attack was met and overpowered by the dragons White Lightning attack. "And that should affect your Life Points significantly. Especially when my Kamouri Dragon attacks your Life Points directly!" The purple reptile released a small explosion of orange flames that beat against Kai's body.

  


LP: Kai-700/ Kevin- 1100

  


"Your turn."

  


Kai reached a shaking hand towards his Duel Disk and gripped the top card from his deck. He began to pull when a sound to his left stopped him.

  


"Mind if we cut in?" A cold voice seethed. 

  


Kai and Kevin both shifted their attention towards two men in cloaks, both bearing a Duel Disk on their left arm.

  


"And who are you?" Kevin demanded. "And why are you interrupting our Duel?"

  


"We are called Rare Hunters." The shorter one explained, not that he was short. He seemed to be about three inches taller than either Kevin or Kai. "We hunt for rare cards and present them to our master, who then rewards us handsomely."

  


"Yes, and you two have a variety of cards that we want. So the stakes are our entire Dueling Decks against yours, winners take all." the other one explained.

  


"So you want to tag-team us?" Kai observed.

  


"Exactly." The second one replied, smiling wickedly.

  


Kevin and Kai turned their heads to each other, held a silent conversation in a matter of seconds, and then returned their attention to the Rare Hunters.

  


"We accept."

  


_To be Continued..._.

***

Well people, there you have it. The first step of myself and Edgar in our careers as Co-Authors. We'll be accepting Original Characters (OC's) soon. For now, enjoy. I'll get back to this after I've done some more work on Return To Duelist Kingdom. See ya.


	2. Two on Two: The Mysterious Rare Hunters

Sorry everyone for the delay. I tried doing this at both school and home, but I found out that Microsoft Word and Word Perfect 11 aren't very compatable. So, after FOUR computer disks, I decided to just work at home, and here I am. Plus, I aslo have work, and after that really good report card I just got last week, I have to maintain that, which will slow me down. Sorry again. But now, let's get on with the story.

  


Disclaimer: Neither Edgar, nor I, Time Mage, owns Yu-Gi-Oh!

Return of Battle City: Wandering Souls

Chapter Two: Two on Two, the Mysterious Rare Hunters 

  


"Now then, before we start, just who are you two anyways?" Kai demanded of the cloaked men. The taller of the two spoke first.

  


"I am Amatsu."

  


"And I am Umbrak." The shorter introduced. "Now then, we assume that the two of you know the rules for tag-team."

  


"Of course." Kevin grinned. "We'll take turns summoning monsters, going in a clockwise pattern, and no one can attack on the first turn."

  


"Very well," Amatsu sneered, walking to stand across from Kai while Umbrak took a position opposite Kevin. "Let us begin. I'll go first." Amatsu stared at his hand only for a short time before choosing two cards. "I'll set this monster in defense mode, and then I'll set this card face down."

  


LP: Kai-4000/Kevin-4000/Amatsu-4000/Umbrak-4000 

  


"My move." Kai muttered, drawing. "I'll summon Blade Knight, in attack mode!" Kai's monster was a man in blue and silver armor, equipped with a sword and a shield. (1600/1000) "That ends my turn."

  


"Is that all you've got?" Umbrak sneered as he drew a card. "I summon my own monster in defense mode. Go brat."

  


"I do have a name." Kevin growled. "I'll summon Sapphire Dragon (1900/1600) in attack mode, and then I'll set my own card face down.

  


"You two are pathetic." Amastu laughed. "I flip over my face down monster, Morphing Jar!" With this command his brown backed card twisted upward, revealing a stone pot with a black liquid inside, a face plastered across the goo. 

  


"It forces us all to discard our current hands and draw new ones of five cards." All four players shoved their cards into their Graveyards and pulled new ones from their decks. "Now I'll summon Satellite Cannon in attack mode by sacrificing my Morphing Jar." Amatsu's new monster was a gleaming piece of machinery that floated above the entire Duel, its cannon pointed at Kai and Kevin's field. (0/0)

  


"What does that do?" Kevin asked, his tone quivering at the site of the cannon.

  


"You'll see soon enough." Umbrak snickered. "But for now, we'll just tell you this: It's attack points will go up each turn by 1000."

  


"What?" Kai gasped. "What else does it do?"

  


"Oh, you'll see soon enough." Amastu croaked. "Now I'll set this card down and end my turn. And my Satellite Cannon's attack power is now 1000/0."

  


"Then for my turn," Kai said, drawing a new card. "I'll summon Makyura the Destroyer, in attack mode!" Kai's new monster was tall, clad in purple and black armor, while various spikes extended out of its head, back and shoulders, and three long claws extended out of each wrist. (1600/1200) "Makyura the Destroyer, attack.....What?!" he shouted as a large hole appeared in the ground behind his monster and a green arm reached out, grabbing its ankle. 

  


"Our trap card has activated." Umbrak laughed. "Bottomless Trap Hole! When you summoned a monster that had more than 1500 attack points, it was pulled into the into the darkness." As he said this, the arm pulled with a vengeance and managed to force the struggling Makyura into its new grave. "Also, our trap card removes it from play!"

  


"Maybe." Kai smiled. "But Makyura has a special ability, and you've now activated it!" he laughed. The two Rare Hunters stared in disbelief as Kai fiddled with his hand of cards. "When Makyura the Destructor is destroyed, I can activate a trap card straight from my hand! And I think I'll activate this one;" The trap card came to life and out of the flash of light came a copy of Kai's Blade Knight. "My Cloning trap card has made a copy of a monster on the field; my Blade Knight to be exact. Now my monsters, attack Amastu's Satellite Cannon and Umbrak's defense monster!"

  


The first soldier slashed down on Umbrak's monster which flipped over to reveal a small brown creature with an axe in its hand.

  


"My Hane-Hane will return one monster of my choice to its owners hand!" he cried in triumph. "And I choose 

Kevin's Sapphire Dragon!"

  


"Not quite." Kai smirked. "My Blade Knight negates the activation of flip effects when it's the one that destroyed the monster."

  


"No!"

  


"Yes. Now, my second Blade Knight, destroy the Satellite Cannon!" Kai's second knight slashed down and easily cut through the air above the cannon, but the swift slash was stopped abruptly by the cannons thick armor.

  


"What the-" he gasped in surprise.

  


"You fool!" Amatsu chuckled. "Satellite Cannon is immune to attacks from monsters who's level equals 7 or under."

  


"But that means I can't get past it!" Kai shouted as his Knight rebounded off of the machine and returned to Kai's field, standing tall next to its counterpart. "Then I'll end my turn by setting this card."

  


Umbrak drew a card and grinned savagely. "I'll summon a monster in defense mode, and then I'll set a card face down. That ends my turn. Plus, don't forget that with each of our turns that passes, our Satellite Cannon's power will grow by 1000." The steel barrel's points began to tick up to 2000/0. 

  


Kevin looked at his new card and grimaced. "I summon Vorse Raider, in attack mode." The new monster was tall, wearing black armor that had multiple spikes extending out of it, and in its hands it carried a thick spear weapon in its hands. (1900/1200) "Vorse Raider, attack his defense monster!" The beast pulled his scythe above his head and struck down, splitting the card in half. The monster that appeared was a small squirrel creature, which cried into the air before exploding. 

  


"Ha, you fool." Umbrak scoffed. "That was my Nimble Momonga!"

  


"What does that do?!" Kevin cried.

  


"When destroyed, it will both raise my Life Points by 1000, and then it will special summon its two brothers directly from my deck!" he laughed as his Life Points increase and he pulled his deck free, quickly locating the two rodents and placing them in defense mode. (1000/100) 

  


LP: Kai-4000/Kevin-4000/Amatsu-4000/Umbrak-5000

  


"Go ahead and attack some more if you want, but realize that you'll only make our Life Points increase further."

  


"He has a point, Kevin." Kai began to explore their options. "Attacking those things will only benefit them. Leave them to me. You worry about that Cannon."

  


"Why me?"

  


"Because if I'm to destroy the Satellite Cannon, I'd need one of two difficult fusion monsters from my deck, neither of which am I close to getting into play. You've got that Blue Eyes White Dragon in you deck. I have faith that you'll find a way to get it going before it's to late."

  


"Alright." Kevin growled. "Now then, I'll end my turn by setting this card this card face down." 

  


"You're turn Amatsu."

  


"Fine by me." he grinned as he drew a card. "Now I'll summon Gradius, in attack mode!" Amastu's new monster was a sleek and made of steel, a futuristic fighter jet. (1200/800) "Then I'll equipt it with Cyclone Laser!" On the top of the jet appeared three cylinders, all ending in a point that was directed towards Kai and Kevin. "This magic card will raise my monsters attack points by 300, as well as allow me to deal damage to your Life Points, even though your monsters could be in defense mode." (1500/1100)

  


"Not good." Kevin remarked sarcastically.

  


"But wait, there's more." Amastu snickered as he chose another two cards from his hand. "I summon two Graduis Option monsters." Two smaller versions of Amatsu's monster appeared, both armed with the three cylinders on top.

  


"What?!"

  


"These monsters count as a special summon, and both take on the stats of the original Gradius!" he laughed. "And then, as the final touch, I'll use this magic card, Limiter Removal!" His three fighters all began to grow in size and strength. "It will double the attack points of all machine type monsters on the field. That makes the attack points of all three Gradius 3000, while my Satellite Cannons attack points raises to 4000!"

  


"No way!" Kai shouted.

  


"Yes way." Umbrak mocked. "Now then Amatsu, crush them now."

  


"Yes, Satellite Cannon, attack and destroy the original Blade Knight!" Amatsu commanded. The machine began to gather electricity into its tip, creating a beam of light. The power released and rushed towards Kai's knight, preparing to obliterate it.

  


"Not today!" Kai called as he activated his face down trap card. "I activate Magic Cylinder!" The cups again appeared in front of Kai, drawing the attack in and then redirecting it towards Amastu's field. "And I know just what I'm aiming for as well."

  


"Oh yeah?" Amastu challenged.

  


"Yes. I'm going to aim for the original Gradius!" Kai mocked, practically reflecting Amastu's own words. The blue laser engulfed the jet and ripped it apart. "And that will not only take away 1000 Life Points, but it also will destroy the life force for your two Gradius Option cards. That means that they cannot exist on this plane any longer!" As he said this, the light dimmed and all could see as the two smaller fighters vanished without a trace. "That leave you with nothing to defense your life points on my turn." 

  


LP: Kai-4000/ Kevin-4000/ Amatsu-3000/ Umbrak-5000

  


"Wrong." Umbrack spat. "The Satellite Cannon is still in play."

  


"True," Kevin admitted. "But Limiter Removal has a great cost. It will destroy all machine monsters on the field at the end of your turn."

  


"Is that what you think?" Amatsu laughed. "Then think again. I use the magic card, Emergency Teleporter!" he said as he slipped the card from his hand into his Duel Disk. A vibrant light began to swirl around the satellite, soon blocking it from view. "Emergency Teleporter removes our monster from play for one turn to protect it. And so when it returns the effects of Limiter Removal will be gone, allowing it to survive. True its attack points will be back to zero-"

  


"Back to zero?" Kevin asked.

  


"After attacking, Satellite Cannon's attack points return to zero, making it somewhat difficult to use. However, it's still immune to your attacks." Amatsu explained. "I end my turn."

  


Kai drew a card and smiled as it passed his eyes. "I play Cost Down!" he declared, activating it and then choosing another card to put in his Graveyard. "By discarding one card from my hand, Cost Down will lower the level of all monsters in my hand by two, allowing me to summon this monster by sacrificing just one monster instead of two." He smiled as a figure in purple armor with gold trimming, a massive sword in his hand appeared. "Behold my Buster Blader!" (2600/2300) Kai glanced at the two rare hunters who began to shake in fear of the monster. "Now I'll attack Amatsu directly! Butser Blader and Blade Knight, attack!" The two monsters raised their weapons and dashed across the field, preparing to strike.

  


"Nimble Momonga, defend!" Umbrak cried. Within seconds of Kai's attack, the two balls of fur had moved from their original position in front of Umbrak and now stood between Amatsu and the attacking sword masters. 

  


"No!" Kai shouted as the swords both found a target and cleaved the rats in half. Amatsu held up his Duel Disk to show his Life Points as they increased by two thousand.

  


LP: Kai-4000/ Kevin-4000/ Amatsu-5000/ Umbrak- 5000

  


"Why, thank you for that precious gift." the Rare Hunter jested. "Now, thanks to your attack, both of us have one thousand Life Points more than either of you."

  


"I'll end my turn by setting this card face down."

  


"Very well." Umbrak croaked as he drew. "I summon Dancing Fairy in defense mode!" Umbrak's new monster was a group of three small pixies standing in a triangle pattern. "Every turn that passes with them in defense mode, my Life Points will increase by 1000. It's only a matter of time until my Life Points overwhelm you!"

  


"Just make your move." Kai threatened.

  


"Fine. I set two more cards face down, and that ends my turn."

  


"My move then." Kevin muttered, drawing a card. "I summon Twin-Headed Behemoth in attack mode!" Kevin's new monster was a purple dragon with two heads and various spikes emerging from its body. (1500/1200) 

  


"Twin-Headed Behemoth, attack his Dancing Fairy's!"

  


"I activate a trap card!" Umbrak shouted, pressing a card on his Duel Disk. "I activate Regulation of Tribe!" One of the brown backed cards turned up, releasing several chains that grabbed the double-headed reptile. "My trap card allows me to name one card type and all monsters of that type are prohibited from attacking. So I'll name Dragon." he laughed.

  


"Very well. However, I still have my Vorse Raider; attack!" Kevin commanded. The creature raised his spear above his head, prepared to swing down.

  


"I'll activate the other card I set during my last turn." Umbrak laughed. "Ring of Defense!" What looked like a bullet appeared on Umbrak's, field and began to rotate; with each rotation a forth of its shell folding back to create a spinning ring. The blade struck down and cracked the wheel, but failed to penetrate. "Ring of Defense will block your attack this turn."

  


"Fine, I'll end my turn without setting anything else on the field."

  


"Excellent." Amatsu chuckled as he drew another card. "First of all, my Satellite Cannon returns to the field in attack mode." As he spoke these words, a new swirl of light appeared, the Satellite Cannon emerging from it. "Now, I'll set this card face down, and summon Newt Warrior, in attack mode." The monster was a tall figure in yellow armor with a blue mask that reached all around his head. (1900/400) "Newt Warrior, attack and destroy his Blade Knight!" The blue capped monster rushed up to Kai's warrior and punched into its stomach, shattering it. "I'll end my turn by setting one card face down." Another brown-back card appeared at his feet. "Also, my Satellite Cannon's attack points now increase to 1000."

  


LP: Kai-3700/ Kevin-4000/ Amatsu- 5000/ Umbrak-5000

  


Kai drew a card and grimaced. "I summon a monster in defense mode, and then I'll attack your Newt Warrior with Buster Blader!" he commanded. His knight raised his sword and prepared to strike.

  


"I disagree!" Amatsu shouted as his face down card revealed itself. "_My_ Regulation of Tribe will stop all Warrior monsters from attacking!" Chains like the ones that held Kevin's Sapphire Dragon and Twin-Headed Behemoth reached out and restrained the two warriors on Kai's field. 

  


"Fine." Kai grumbled. 'I'll end my turn by activating my face down trap card, Dust Tornado." The one card that Kai had set raised itself up and unleashed a column of wind that pushed over towards Amatsu's face down card, which exploded, showing the picture of a girl standing in the rain, looking skyward.

  


"Why destroy my Solemn Wishes when my Regulation of Tribe is what's holding you back?' the Rare Hunter demanded. 

  


"Because, you need to pay the cost of one monster each turn for your regulation of Tribe to remain in effect, while I had no idea what you had in store for us with your other card. It's simple reasoning and strategy." Kai smiled smugly.

  


"Now it's my turn." Umbrak said, drawing a card. "First I gain 1000 life Points for my Dancing Fairy's effect."

  


LP: Kai-3700/ Kevin- 4000/ Amatsu- 5000/ Umbrak- 6000

  


"I summon Grand Tiki Elder in attack mode." Umbrak's monster was a monster that floated freely in the air, not having legs of its own to stand on. Its skin was green, while a brown mantle was draped around its upper body, and a wooden mask rested on its face. "And I'll sacrifice my Grand Tiki Elder to pay the cost of my Regulation of Tribe trap card. That ends my turn, and Satellite Cannon receives another 1000 attack points." (2000/0) 

  


"I draw." Kevin began his turn. "You two have made quite the mistake." He bodly stated.

  


"And what's that?" Amatsu inquired.

  


"You forgot about my Vorse Raider, which is neither a Dragon or a Warrior, allowing it to attack!" Kevin's monster raised the bladed staff above its head and charged in for an attack.

  


"And you've made the mistake of rushing into an attack!" Umbrak declared. "I activate Crystal Prison!" The last card that Umbrak had concealed activated, firing hundreds of glass spears through the air, which landed all around the Vorse Raider, soon overlapping each other and completely trapping the fighter. "My trap card will hold your monster at bay for as long as I wish. It cannot attack, change its position, or even be sacrificed!" the Rare Hunter laughed.

  


"My move then." Amatsu said. "I'll summon Mechanicalchaser in attack mode." A small metal ball appeared with a variety of long steel arms extending out of the bottom, all ending in some sort of bladed weapon. "Then I set another card face down and end my turn, while Satellite Cannons attack will raise by another 1000." (3000/0)

  


"That means that your Regulation of Tribe is destroyed, as you didn't sacrifice a monster to it." Kai smirked as the chains released his Blade Knight and Buster Blader. "So I draw." He yanked the card free. "I'll set one card face down and then I'll sacrifice my face down Z-Metal Tank for Chaos Command Magician! And I'll attack your Mechanicalchaser, with Shadow Lightning attack!" The black staff released another beam of black light that engulfed and shattered the metal ball. "That will end my turn."

  


'Why is he ending his turn without using his Buster Blader to destroy their Newt Warrior?' Kevin asked himself. 

'Does he know something about it that I don't?'

  


"My move." Umbrak declared. "And I'll summon Rogue Doll in attack mode, and then sacrifice it for my Regulation of Tribe. And Satellite Cannon goes up another 1000." (4000/0)

  


"I draw." Kevin dictated. "And I summon a monster in defense mode, and that will end my turn." A single brown backed card appeared.

  


"Back to me so soon?" Amastu mocked, picking a new card. "I suppose I should tell you what my Newt Warrior is capable of." he grinned. "Whatever monster that this one is destroyed by is weakened by 500 attack points."

  


"What your point." Kevin demanded.

  


"This. I summon Drillago in attack mode!" A large ball of metal with arms and legs protruding from it, each ending in a spinning drill, appeared. (1600/1100) "As long as all of your monsters on the field have an attack power of 1600 or more, I can attack directly with my Drillago; so attack my monster!" The mechanical sphere charged in towards Kevin and struck him full force in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

  


LP: Kai-3700/ Kevin-2400/ Amatsu-5000/ Umbrak- 5000

  


"Then I'll attack your Buster Blader with Newt Warrior!"

  


"But he'll be destroyed."

  


"I know, but your Buster Blader's attack points will also fall to 2100, making it easy prey for my Satellite Cannon, and damaging your Life Points greatly. Go Newt Warrior, attack his Buster Blader!" The figure charged across the field and punched into the Buster Blader, recoiling on contact with the steel armor. The knight then raised his sword and pulled down, crushing the monster. However, pieces of the Newt Warriors armor began to fly through the air, many of them cracking and sticking into the armor. Finally, the Newt's head latched itself onto the Buster Bladers chest, glowing and forcing its host to whither in pain. "Now my Satellite Cannon, attack!" Again a blue laser released from the machine, but this time it struck and dissolved the warrior it had been aiming for.

  


LP: Kai-1800/ Kevin-2400/ Amatsu- 5000/ Umbrak- 5000

  


"Prepare to fall!" Umbrak taunted as Kai and Kevin both stared at their Life Points in disbelief. 

  


'And this is just the beginning.' Amatsu smirked inwardly. 'If they cannot even stand up to my machines, then they wont stand a chance once my decks true strength is released!'

  


'This isn't good.' Kevin frowned. 'Their decks work together all to well, while Kai and I have only known each other for a few hours. How can we strike back?' He turned his head to his team mate, who's face twisted to a grin. 

  


'But still, what's he smiling at?'

_To Be Continued......_

***

Hope that that satisfies you all. Sorry about the wait. As far as certain cards that you didn't recognize are concerned, Crystal Prison is MINE! I created it, so don't go and claim it as your own. As for the others, most likely you didn't recognize them because they are in Japanese right now only. 

Anyso, I've decided that for right now, OC submissions are not going to happen unless Edgar or myself asks you. This is because in order for our visions to come true, we need to be selective. Sorry to anyone that we've officially bummed by doing this. See you all.


	3. Struggle With the Spirits

Sorry everyone for the delay. School and work have been killer as of late, and then over the holidays we had all eight kids over, plus Grandma and the two in-laws, so the computer was in high demand. But soon I'll have my own computer in my room. Which may speed things up a bit. Again, sorry.

Happy New Year! 

  


Now for a bit of advertising:

thegymrat has written some of the BEST work I've read, but gets few reviews. His story, "What Was, What Is, and What Shall Be is one of the most detailed and well thought out stories out there. Enjoy I say!

Now on with my story.  
Disclaimer: Neither Edgar, nor I, Time Mage, owns Yu-Gi-Oh!

Return of Battle City: Wandering Souls

Struggle With the Spirit

  


Kai-1800/ Kevin- 2400/ Amatsu-4300/ Umbrak-5000

The smoke cleared from the field were Kai's Buster Blader had once stood, having been incinerated by the Satellite Cannon. Kai removed his arm from his face, his smile wider than ever.

"Why thank you." he chuckled. "Not only have you reduced your Satellite Cannon's attackpoints again to zero, but by using Newt Warrior to lower my monsters attack points, I can activate my face down trap card."

"Trap?" Amatsu shouted.

"Yes; Card of Last Will!" Kai shouted, raising his arm as his trap came to life. "When you decreased my monsters attack points, I was allowed to activate this trap card, which allows me to draw five new cards." He quickly slipped them from his Duel Disk. "And now I have some new options, as I didn't have any cards a minute ago. And now that it's my turn, I draw a sixth card." he taunted as he pulled the card from his deck. "Now it's on." he said with a smile. "First I'll use my Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Umbrak's Crystal Prison!" he shouted, activating the card. A pillar of wind formed out of nowhere and surrounded the glass cage, ripping it apart and freeing the Vorse Raider. "And then I'll use Card Destruction!" he grinned. "We each discard our entire hands and draw new ones of the same amount." Everyone deposited their hands to the Graveyard and pulled new cards free. "Now I summon Kuriboh in defense mode and then I'll set three card face down and then I'll attack Drillago with Blade Knight!"

"You're planning to send your Knight on a suicidal attack?" Umbrak demanded.

"Not quite. You see, Blade Knight's special effect allows me to raise its attack points by 400 when I have only one or fewer cards in my hand. And since I have only one, his attack power is 2000!"

"I can't allow that!" Amatsu interrupted. "So I activate my face down trap card, Chasm of Spikes!" His down card rolled up and activated. A hole appeared underneath the Blade Knight and pulled him in, destroying him. "And my trap does more than just destroy your monster; it will also deal you one quarter that monsters attack points in damage." Kai clenched his teeth as his points dropped by 500.

  


Kai-1300/Kevin-2400/4300/Umbrak-5000

  


"I'll end my turn." Kai growled.

"My turn then." Umbrak grinned. "I have nothing to attack with right now, but I'll change that!" he smiled, fiddling with a card in his hand. "I activate my rarest card; Dark Hole!"

"No way!" Kevin gasped. "Only a handful of copies of that card were ever made!"

"I know. But why do you think we're called Rare Hunters?" Amatsu cooed.

"Anyway, this magic card destroys all monsters on the field." Umbrak continued. Kevin's Sapphire Dragon, Vorse Raider, and Twin-Headed Behemoth were all pulled in; Kai's Blade Knight and Kuriboh disappeared, Umbrak's Dancing Faries, and Amatsu's Mechanicalchaser were all pulled in.

"Wait a second!" Kai shouted. "Why is the Satellite Cannon still in play?"

"You fool!" Umbrak declared. "Haven't you realized that every turn, our Satellite Cannon has gone higher and higher into orbit? As its power raises. It pulls further and further away from the field to add more defenses. And now, at its current elevation, there is a new requirement for if you want to destroy it."

"And that would be?" Kevin questioned.

"Now you must destroy it with a monster that is capable of flight!" Amatsu sneered. "Which means that even if your monster has enough attack points, and is at a level of 8 or higher, it still cannot destroy my Satellite Cannon unless it can fly."

"I can't believe this!" Kai shouted.

"Trust me, this is all very real." Umbrak chimed in. "And now, to complete my turn, I summon a monster in defense mode. And don't forget, Satellite Cannon's attack points go up another 1000. (2000/0) 

"My turn." Kevin said as he pulled a card free. "I summon Luster Dragon, in attack mode."

"Not quite." Umbrak spat. "You don't have any monsters because of my Dark Hole magic card."

"That's what you think." Kevin laughed as he picked a card off of his field to sacrifice. "My Twin-Headed Behemoth has a special ability." As he said this, the purple lizard appeared for a second. "Whenever it's destroyed, it returns to play once with an attack and defense rating of 1000. That was enough for me to sacrifice to summon my Luster Dragon." Kevin's green beast appeared, roaring in preparation of attacking. (2400/1400) "Luster Dragon, attack Umbrak's face down monster with Burst Stream!" The green flames lanced across the field and consumed the face down monster, which revealed itself to be a green bird with a long beak.

"You attacked my Ashinigurai." Umbrak laughed, tossing his head back in hysterics. "And its special ability forces you to discard one card from your hand, allows me to pull another one from my deck in defense mode, and then allows me to shuffle my deck." 

"I end my turn."

"I draw." Amatsu declared. "I summon a monster in defense mode and end mt turn." A brown card appeared. "And Satellite Cannon's points raise to 3000."

"Draw." Kai called. "I summon X-Head Cannon (1800/1500) in attack mode, and I attack Umbrak's Ashinigray!"

"Fool. You're that desperate to be rid of your cards?" Amatsu shouted.

"No, it's just that I have a card to spare." Kai replied, slipping a card into his Graveyard and another card appeared on Umbrak's field. "Go."

"Very well." Umbrak pulled another card from his hand. "Amatsu, I have all of the cards I need o begin our rampage over their Life Points. Should we show them the true power of our decks?"

"Yes Umbrak, that would be fine." his partner responded.

"Alright, I summon Fushi No Tori, (1200/0) in attack mode!" A small bird of fire appeared, small embers falling from its wings. "And I play Rush Recklessly to raise its attack points by 700 for this turn!" The birds size increased to nearly double (1900/0). "Fushi No Tori, attack and destroy the X-Head Cannon!" The bird swooped down, a trail of fire in its wake, burning the blue machine to small pieces of scrap. "And I gain any Life Point damage that you take to my score."

  


Kai-1200/ Kevin-2400/ Amatsu-4300/ Umbrak-5100

  


"My turn." Kevin called as he drew a card and the Satellite Cannon's attack rose to 4000. "And I'll have Luster Dragon attack your-Wait! Where's your Fushi No Tori?"

"Perhaps we neglected to mention," Amatsu explained. "Our decks are truly based around a rare type of card called Spirit monsters." Kai gave them a skeptical glare. "They are hard to use, as they are few and have a few side effects. First, they cannot be specially summoned. That makes them hard to summon swiftly. However, also, every turn they return to our hands after attacking."

"So the machines were a distraction to keep us busy while you brought together your Spirit monsters." Kevin gasped.

"Exactly." Umbrak laughed. "Which means that if you want to attack me, you'll have to target my defense monster."

"Fine. Luster Dragon, attack Umbrak's face down monster." The green blaze once again enveloped a monster. Umbrak's third and final Ashingray exploded. "Your turn." Kevin grimaced as he discarded a card.

"Fine." Amatsu croaked. "Time for me to show you my rarest card." he grinned. "I play Raigeki!"

"That's not possible!" Kai gasped. "No more than ten ever existed. There's just no way!"

"Believe what you will, but I've just removed all of your monsters from the field!" A series of lighting bolts rained from the sky and eliminated Kevin's monsters, leaving both Duelists without any monsters to defend their Life Points. "Now I'll activate my face down card, Ultimate Offering!"

"What's that?" both Kevin and Kai asked.

"This rare trap card allows me to summon as many monsters as I wish, so long as I pay 500 Life Points for every extra summon I perform. And since they're normal summons, this is perfect for my Spirit monsters. I summon Ashura Priest (1700/1200), and then I'll pay 500 Life Points to summon my own Fushi No Tori (1200/0), and then another 500 points to summon Susa Soldier, all in attack mode!"

  


Kai-1200/ Kevin-2400/ Amatsu-3300/ Umbrak-5100

  


"Now Fushi No Tori, attack and destroy Kai's Life points, eliminating him and adding 1200 Life Points to my score! Then Asura Priest and Susa Soldier, finish Kevin off. Win us both their decks!"

"I activate my face down card!" Kevin shouted. "Nightmare Steel Cage!" The two Rare Hunters were trapped by a large steel dome that encased them and their monsters. "This magic card prevents us all from attacking for two full turns. Well, except for the Satellite Cannon, which is exempt from everything." he said, adding a twinge of anger and annoyance to his last note.

"Fine." Amatsu snapped. "I end my turn." The spirits returned to the Rare Hunters hand while the Satellite Cannon's points rose to 5000.

"I draw." Kai sighed, gazing at the card. "I'll set one card face down, and then I'll summon Y Dragon Cannon (1500/1600) in defense mode. That ends my turn."

"I draw." Umbrak said, grabbing at his deck. "Now I'll activate a magic card, Spring of Rebirth!" Between the Rare Hunters appeared a fountain with an angel posing in the center. "Now, whenever a monster returns to our hand, we'll gain 500 Life Points."

"And because Spirit Monsters return to a players hand each turn, you're points will grow at incredible rates!" Kai shouted.

"Yes." Umbrak laughed. "Now I summon Maharaghi (1200/1700) in attack mode, and then end my turn. He returns to my hand, and so my Life Points go up 500, and Satellite Cannon goes up to 5000."

  


Kai-1200/Kevin-2400/Amatsu-3300/Umbrak-5600

  


Kevin drew a card and grinned ecstatically. "I set one card face down and summon a monster in defense mode." 

Amatsu selected a card from his deck and grimaced. "I can't do anything other than summon my Fushi No Tori again, and then return it to my hand to raise my life points as Satellite Cannon gains another 1000 points." (6000/0)

  


Kai-1200/Kevin-2400/Amatsu-3800/Umbrak-5600

  


"Draw." Kai called, pulling another card free. "I summon Z Metal Tank (1500/1300), in defense mode. That ends my turn."

"Draw." Umbrak called. "I set one card face down, and then I summon Maharaghi in attack mode, and then allow it to return to my hand, raising my life points by another 500." He frowned as his Life Points increased to 6100, along with the Satellite Cannon's to 7000.

  


Kai-1200/Kevin-2400/Amatsu-3800/Umbrak-6100

  


"I draw." Kevin called. "I summon another monster in defense mode, and end my turn."

"My turn." Amatsu drew another card and grinned, glancing at Umbrak.

"I activate my placed card," the shorter Rare Hunter called. "Pyro Clock of Destiny!" A large stone tablet, divided into sections appeared, a long clock hand of fire extending from the center. "This trap card will speed the Duel up one turn, destroying this accursed cage, but it will also raise our cannons attack points to 8000." he explained as the arrow began to rotate. 

"That leaves my free to attack this turn." Amatsu smirked. "And so first I'll activate this magic card, Spell Reproduction!" he said, activating his card. "By discarding two magic cards from my hand I can activate a magic card from my Graveyard;" he smiled wickedly. "So I choose Raigeki!" Again, the thick lightning bolts surged from the sky, striking all monsters on the field and eliminating them. "Now, the card that will seal your fate; the Eight Giant Crows, Yata-Garasu!" (200/100) A small purple crow appeared, squawking weakly. "When my Yata-Garasu deals damage to your life points, you cannot draw on your next turn. So now Kevin, prepare to suffer. Yata-Garasu, attack his life points directly!" The small bird flapped across the field and struck Kevin in the chest, not even nudging him. "Now, Satellite Cannon, destroy Kai!" A white beam lanced down, preparing to hit Kai full force.

"Activate trap card, Mirror Force!" Kevin yelled. An aurora bubble formed around Kai, holding off the attack before turning it back on the cannon in the sky. "Let's see if this can't reach your monster!" The white beam began its ascent to the atmosphere, but stopped short of the cannon. "What?"

"That was close." Amatsu sighed. "But the force of the redirected attack wasn't enough to fulfill the several thousand foot climb. All you managed to do was block off my attack." 

"It was enough." Kai assured as his partners Life Points dropped a small amount while Amatsu's raised, thanks to the Spring of Rebirth, as did the Satellite Cannon's attack (1000/0).

  


Kai-1200/Kevin-2200/Amatsu-4300/Umbrak-6100

  


"I draw." Kai called. "I summon Mystical Elf, in defense mode. That ends my turn."

"I summon a monster in defense mode." Umbrak called as another brown backed card appeared and the Satellite Cannon's poinst raised to 2000. "That ends my turn."

"My turn." Kevin called. "I play Monster Reborn to revive my Twin-Headed Behemoth. And now, to summon my great monster." he called, snatching a card from his hand. "I sacrifice my Behemoth and Kai's Mystical Elf to summon my Blue Eyes White Dragon!" he shouted as his monstrous creature appeared. "And it's level is indeed eight, and it can fly."The two Rare Hunters both gasped sharply as the dragon began to climb through the air. "So go my dragon, attack and destroy the Satellite Cannon!"

Within seconds, the Blue Eyes was out of site, past the clouds. Moments later, a burst of white and blue light was seen, accompanied by an explosion which resulted in dozens of pieces of shattered debris falling to the earth, ignited by the heat of the atmosphere. The dragon soon returned to the ground as well, roaring with its thunderous shout.

  


Kai-1200/Kevin-2200/Amatsu-2300/Umbrak-6100 

  


"My turn ends." Kevin said with a calm visage. Umbrak drew a card.

"I'll activate my Exchange magic card to swap one card from my hand with any other player on the field;" he sneered. "And I choose Amatsu!" he walked over to his partner and revealed his hand. Amatsu quickly grabbed a card and then Umbrak snatched one from Amatsu, hardly looking in the process. "Now I summon Yata-Garasu in attack mode. And because you allowed your partner to sacrifice you Elf, Kai, you can't stop my attack." he shouted. "Yata-Garasu, attack Kai's Life Points directly!"

"Think again!" Kai shouted. "I activate my face down card, Shadow Spell!" The holographic card slowly creaked up, unleashing a swarm of chains that completely overcame and covered the small bird, leaving no trace of its true form. "That stops your attack this turn, which means I still get to draw next turn. And it also means that your monster returns to your hand and it's Kevin's turn."

"That it is." Kevin smiled. "So I draw, and set a monster in defense mode. That ends my turn." he sighed. "Kai, I hope you have a way of getting rid of that sick bird. If it gets in many more attacks, we'll run out of options and this'll all be over."

"I do Kevin. It's my rarest card, but I need to draw it first. Please, just show some patients and keep your head calm, alright." Kai assured with a nod, glancing uneasily at his deck.

"My turn then." Amatsu said, gritting his teeth. "I set a monster in defense mode, and that will end my turn."

"This is redundant." Kai remarked. His gaze traveled to his deck, which he eyed warily. His hand moved to the top card and gave it a small tug, but stopped after only a small bit had moved off of the deck. He closed his eyes, as if offering a small prayer or just trying to collect his thoughts; he wasn't sure which he was doing. "I draw!" he whipped the card off the top, practically twirling it about his head, finally bringing it to a rest at his eye level and smirking.

"Prepare to see the power of the rarest magic card in all of Duel Monsters!" he slipped the card into his Duel disk and immediately activated it. "Hand Rebirth!"

"I knew it!" Umbrak cooed with joy upon seeing the rare magic card. "That is what our employer desires!"

"True, this is indeed the rarest magic card in the game." Kai confirmed. "However, do you know its effect. This card forces us to all discard our current hands and then draw new ones of five each." he explained, folding his few cars together and discarding them. The others fallowed his lead. "That means that Yata-Garasu is sent to the grave, and being as how Spirit monsters cannot be special summoned, he's gone for good." The two robed Duelists cringed upon realizing that their prized card was gone.

"Now, I set one card face down, and summon Kycoo the Ghost destroyer, in attack mode. And I'll have him attack your Life Points directly Umbrak, and then I'll activate his special ability." Kai said as his robed monster used a magical spell to strike Umbrak's Life Points. "When Kycoo does battle damage, I can remove up to two cards from your Gaveyeard. And I choose Yata-Garasu and Dark Hole!"

  


Kai-1200/Kevin-2200/Amatsu-2300/Umbrak-4300

  


"My turn." Umbrak seethed. He pulled a card free and examined it, his scowl instantly changing to a positive laugh. "Time for my revenge! I activate Ultimate Offering's effect, first normal summoning Maharaghi, then pay 500 Life Points to summon my Fushi No Tori to in attack mode." The bird of fire and stone doll appeared, both in a passive stance while at the same time seeming ready for an attack. "Then I'll pay another 500 Life Points to sacrifice both my monsters for this," The two monsters disappeared, replaced by a white dragon with multiple heads. "Yamata Dragon!" (2600/3100) "Now my Dragon, attack his monster!" The serpent heads all opened their mouths at once, a ball of bright red flame forming in each. They then simultaneously released their attacks as one stream of flame. "You're finished-What?" he shouted. For at that moment his dragon began to decrease in size until it was only half its original obesity. 

"My magic card," Kevin explained. "Shrink. It cut your monsters attack points in half, lowering them to 1300, which is no match for Kycoo."

The sage raised his hands and formed a glowing shield around his body to protect him from the attack, reflecting the flames back at the dragon, destroying it.

  


Kai-1200/Kevin-2200/Amatsu-2300/Umbrak-3800

  


"And because Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer inflicted damage to your Life Points, I again remove two of your cards from play-Two of your Ashinigray."

"My turn." Kevin mused. "Why Umbrak, you don't have any more monsters on the field, leaving you wide open for a direct attack. Blue Eyes,White Lightning!" The mighty dragon reared back its head and unleashed another beams of white and blue that engulfed Umbrak completely. "That ends my turn."

  


Kai-1200/Kevin-2200/Amatsu-2300/Umbrak-800

  


"I draw." Amatsu spat, picking up a card. "I summon a monster in defense mode and set a card face down. Your turn Kai."

"Very well." Kai remarked. "I sacrifice my Ghost Destroyer to summon Kaiser Glider! (2400/2200) Attack Amatsu's defense monster!" The gold bird opened its mouth and released a beam of gold light that pierced the brown card. 

"You've attacked my Otohime (0/100). And her special ability forces one of your monsters to change their battle position, so to defense mode Blue Eyes." Amatsu seethed.

"My turn's over then." Kai sighed.

"Then I'll play this," Umbrak shouted, playing the magic card he had just drawn. "Afterlife!"

"What's that?" Kevin demanded.

"This magic card allows me to summon a Spirit monster from my hand who's level is equal to one on your field." He pulled another card from his hand and summoned it to his monster zone. A man with dark skin and hair of fire appeared, his eyes glowing a malevolent red. "I summon Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi (2800/2900). My thanks to your Blue Eyes White Dragon Kevin. Now Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi, attack the Blue Eyes White Dragon!" The mans fist began to burn with fire and he charged across the field, smashing his hand into the dragons stomach, destroying it. "It's good for both of us that your dragon was in defense mode. For you, you didn't loose Life Points. For me, it was weak enough to destroy. Now I'll set one card face down and then play Spiritual Energy Settle Machine!"

A brown backed card appeared at Umbrak's feet, fallowed by a machine at his side with various tubes and wires exposed and electricity crackling around it.

"This magic card allows me and my partner to discard one card at the end of each of our turns, but it also keeps our Spirit Monsters in play as if they were normal monsters. So I'll end my turn by discarding this; the Sinister Serpent." Umbrak smirked as he slipped a card into his Graveyard.

"My turn then." Kevin grimaced. "I'll set one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"That's weak. I'll set one monster in defense mode and end my turn by discarding a card from my hand for our Spirit Energy Settle Machine." Amatsu growled.

"My turn then." Kai said. "I'll switch Kiaser Glider to defense mode. Your move Umbrak."

"Very well. First I'll activate my face down trap card, Sanctification!" he grinned as his down card flipped up. "This trap card returns one Spirit Monster in my Graveyard to my hand, and I choose Yamata Dragon!" The short man called, locating the card from his Graveyard. "Now I'll set one monster in defense mode and one card face down and play my Life Line magic card, which will double my Life Points for this turn, and then return them to what they were originally at the end phase."

  


Kai-1200/Kevin-2200/Amatsu-2300/Umbrak-1600

  


"Now I'll access Ultimate Offering to pay 500 Life Points to summon another defense monster, and then pay another 500 to summon Yamata Dragon by sacrificing both monsters. Now my Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi will attack your Kaiser Glider, Kai, with his Blaze Fist attack!" The man unleashed the furry of his burning punch yet again, crushing Kai's winged monster. "Now I'll have my Yamata Dragon attack your Life Points directly to finish you off!" The eight heads all formed their own individual balls of fire and attacked, striking Kai and lifting a curtain of smoke. "That's one player down." Umbrak smirked.

"I don't think so." a voice called from within the smoke, fallowed by a golden beam that reached out and destroyed the Yamata Dragon. When the smoke cleared Kai could be seen with his Kaiser Glider by his side.

"But how?" Umbrak stuttered.

"My face down card was the Rope of Life trap card revived my Kaiser Glider and added an extra 800 attack points to it, making it 3200 points strong. Sorry Umbrak, but you've been defeated, as your dragon had fewer attack points, my monster was able to destroy it and what was left of your Life Points."

"I'd like to disagree." Umbrak shot back. "I'll use my face down Guard of Card magic card to discard one card from my hand to block all Life Point damage I take this turn. Sure I still lose my Yamata Dragon, but my Life points are safe and back to 800, as I'll end my turn, activating my Life Line's second ability. My turn will end when I switch my Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi to defense mode and discard my Sinister Serpent for my Spirit Machine."

"But you discarded your Sinister Serpent last turn." Kai objected.

"True, but Sinister Serpent has a special ability, which is if it's in my Graveyard when my turn begins, I'm allowed to return it to my hand. This gives me a monster that I can discard every turn, meaning I'll never be lacking in monsters to send to the Graveyard for my Machine. Now go Kevin."

Kai-

"Fine. I draw and set one more monster in defense mode."

"Back to me already." Amatsu grinned. "I summon Asura Priest (1700/1200) in attack mode, and I'll have it destroy all of Kevin's monsters!"

"How?" Kevin shouted. "A monster can only attack once each turn."

"True, but Asura Priest has the ability to attack any monsters you have on the field, one at a time. So go my monster, and destroy the monster Kevin set two turns ago!" In the multiple hands of the god appeared gleaming steel swords, which is threw at the monster card, destroying it, which revealed itself to be a Giant Germ.

"And I'll use my Germ's special ability, which is to search my deck for two more, which will then be summoned to the field." Kevin laughed as two more balls of mass appeared on his field. "Plus, you lost 500 Life Poinst thanks to my Germs second ability. Now, you could use your monsters ability to destroy my other two Germs, but that would cost you another 1000 points total. Are you willing to risk that?"

"No, but that doesn't mean that I can't destroy your other monster with my Asura Priest." Amastu shouted as his Life Points ticked away. The swords again flew, this time spearing into Kevin's Sangan.

"And that allows me to search my deck for a monster with 1500 or fewer attack points." Kevin smiled as he found a card in his deck and added it to his hand. "You done yet?"

"I'll discard my Fushi No Tori to upkeep the Spirit Machine, and then my Asura Priest returns to my hand." Amastu growled.

"My turn then." Kai smiled. "I'll set two cards face down and end my turn by attacking Amatsu's defense monster with Kaiser Glider."

"Then it's my turn." Umbrak spat. "Susa Soldier in defense mode and then my turn ends as I discard my Sinister Serpent again."

"Draw." Kevin called. "I'll sacrifice mt two monsters for this; Hyozanryu in attack mode! And I'll have it destroy one of Amatsu's defense monsters, which will end my turn." The dragon fired its white beam of light which destroyed a Susa Soldier.

"Draw." Amatsu said. "Another monster in defense mode. Then I'll discard a card to upkeep our Spirit Machine."

"No you wont." Kai called. "I'm activating my trap card, Dust Tornado, which I'll use to wipe out your Spiritial Energy Settle Machine! And since it's now the end of your turn Amatsu, both of your partners monsters return to his hand, even though it will raise his points by 1000 thanks to the Spring of Rebirth. But now he's open to an attack."

  


Kai-1000/Kevin-2200/Amatsu-2300/Umbrak-1800

  


"And now it's my turn." Kai said, drawing a card. "I'll activate the magic card, Double Spell to copy Amatsu's Raigeki!" he shouted, activating the magic card. "I'll first discard this magic card, and then all of your monsters will disappear!" The bolts of lighting completely decimated the Rare Hunters monsters. "Now Kaiser Glider, attack and destroy Amatsu's life Points!" The golden beam struck Amatsu full force in the chest and knocked him to the ground, his Life Points depleted.

"And now it's Umbrak's turn."

"I draw." The last Rare Hunter said shakily. "A monster in defense mode."

"If that's all you've got, then you've lost." Kevin said. "I'll summon Dark Gremlin in attack mode. Now my Gremlin, attack his defense monster!" The green imp jumped across the field and slashed away Umbrak's last Asura Priest. "Now Hyozanryu, attack and destroy his Life Points!" Kevin shouted. The dragons attack hit with all intensity, wiping Umbrak out. "We win!"

"That's right." Kai smiled. "And now we each get a locator card and your decks." 

They approached the robed figures who were struggling to stand. However, when they stood only a few feet away from the Rare Hunters the two men simultaneously clutched their chests and began to twist on the ground uncontrollably.

"What's going on?" Kevin asked.

"I'm not sure." Kai responded. "But I think it may be something that I've read about in my history studies." He sucked a large batch of air into his lungs. "I think that their souls are being extracted from their bodies." Kevin raised his eyebrow in disbelief. "It was proven that the magic of the Millennium Items was real, and you know it." Kai defended as the Rare Hunters bodies stopped moving and they collapsed.

"True, but those items have been missing for decades. How could someone be using one?"

"If they have it, it's not that hard." a voice rasped from the side. They looked back at the Rare Hunters and saw a man standing behind them. He was at least twenty-seven years, had long white hair that hung wild, and wore a business suit that must have cost several hundred or even thousand dollars. He raised his hands and clapped slowly, his face twisting to a wicked grin. "I applaud you and your skills boys. I hope that these scoundrels didn't cause to much trouble for you. They weren't even official competitors. However, I thought I'd see how youtwo fared before intervening."

"And you are?" Kai asked sternly.

"My name is Ouja Monotori, and I'm the sponsor and organizer of this tournament. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some business to deal with. Your prizes await, so enjoy." he chuckled before turning oh his heal and walking off.

"Well, he's right." Kevin said, quickly snatching Amatsu's deck up. "Sorry kai." he grinned. "But I'm not letting that Raigeki slip by me."

"Fine." Kai shot back. "But if you think you'll lay even a finger on that Dark Hole, you're more than wrong, you're dead." He reached down and grabbed the other Duelists deck. He then searched the robes for a pocket, found one, and retrieved the Locator Card therein.

"Well then, I guess that's all for now. See ya Kevin." Kai called, turning and walking off.

"What about our Duel?" Kevin yelled after him.

"Battle City Final's my friend. I'll see you there." 

  


_To Be Continued......_

***

Well, that's that. Sorry again. Cards that are mine in this chapter:

Life Line

  


As for Afterlife and Sanctification, those are used in the Anime, but haven't been released yet, even is Japan. 

  


And as for Hand Rebirth being the rarest magic card in the game, I need to reveal this cards history. Apparently, in Japan, they were going to release that card as a promo with one of the video games, but it was deemed to powerful and never released. That's why. Besides, these guys have never heard of Toon World before, so don't get on my case over that either. 

  


Hope that takes care of everything. See ya.


	4. An Army Amasses

Alright everybody, here's my second chapter of the New Year, and it's one of the ones that I've been turning over in my head for months, so it should be good. Also, more happiness: Finals started last Friday, so I'll be getting several hours extra off of school and work this week for the testing and next week as it'll be the start of the new Semester.

Okay, BIG note I must put up: I do NOT fallow the EXACT text of many cards in this story, such as the changes I made to Magic Cylinder over the last three chapters. In this chapter in particular, I have taken the liberty of changing many cards and their texts ever so slightly. Do NOT think that I don't know what I'm doing. I check these texts quite often and look into the exact effects, and at times check things with Upperdeck on what is meant. I know what I'm doing.

Now for something a bit special, I thought I'd start a small 'Card of the Chapter' thing. Basically, whenever I do a chapter, I'll give a small review on a card, sometimes in Japanese, sometimes in English. Today's card, the Dark Magic Curtin:

Card Text: _Pay half of your Life Points. Specially summon a Dark Magician to the field from your hand, deck, or Graveyard, in face up attack or defense mode. You cannot normal summon, special summon, or flip summon any other monsters this turn. _

Now, here's a great card for a Dark Magician deck, as that's what it was made for. It can get out your primary monster really fast. The only two set backs are:

A-It costs half your Life Points. This is costly, but is efficient later in the game.

B-No other summons this turn. That is problematic, as it may mean no direct attacks that turn, and your opponent may get to sacrifice whatever monsters are left to get something stronger.

Overall Rating: 6 out or 10.

  


Also, for the sake of advertising, today is Back To Domino, the published work of my little brother, Animan2.0. He's only one chapter so far, but he needs reviews. Also, be gentle. He's just getting started as a writer, and makes many mistakes. So be nice and help him out a bit.

  


Final note before I start: This chapter will use Animan2.0's original character, who has appeared in my other stories. Understand that that is because he is an OC that my bro submits to any story. Besides, there is NO connection between this story and my others. This is technically the same Kai as from my others, but he's not 100+ years old. He's just an OC that I place in different stories and scenarios. Thank you.

Chapter Three: An Army Amasses

Kai Kaethan sat by the dried up fountain. Although it had survived the disasters that had plagued the world decades before, the water system that fed it had long since diminished. He searched through the cards he had won in his first Battle City Duel before he met Kevin Hunter, as well as the entire deck of cards won from the Rare Hunter Umbrak. 

His first opponent had been a young gothic girl who seemed nearly devoid of emotion. She had wagered her only Locator Card against him, but had also put up her two rarest cards; cards that served a great purpose both on the field or in the Graveyard. It took only a bit of work for Kai to find a bit of room in his deck for the two monster cards.

Umbrak's deck had proved extremely useful as well. A couple of the traps and monsters were useful, but it was the prized Dark Hole magic card that Kai was most excited to get in his deck. However, after nearly an hour of focus, he stood up with a newly refurbished deck. He stood up and gazed into the sky. The street he was standing it was completely desolate except for him and a few torn buildings, plus the crumbling fountain. He began to dwell on thoughts other than his deck and pondered many questions that had been plaguing his conscience.

First off was why was he here in Battle City. He had always loved Duel Monsters, true, but was that really reason enough to just get up and leave his home village the way he had. However, he also understood that there was a feeling, almost a promise that came from nowhere that told him that if he were to win at Battle City that maybe he'd get some of the answers he had about his life. Ever since he was young Kai had always been haunted by a feeling that there was something extremely different about him, however it was a subtle and apart from his normal being. Kai's only real clue was an ancient artifact that he had come across nearly two years earlier. It was during his premature studies of history that it occurred.

***

_Kai Kaethan reached into his pocket and retrieved the small brush from within, which he used to polish away the sand and dust that had filled the carvings in the stone which he was examining. The lines were long but few, telling nothing of the rock that barely filled his palm. However, this piece of rock was just what Kai had been looking for. He turned and walked back to the compound of tents where a massive tablet was laid out, apparently having been pieced back together by other rocks like the one in Kai's hand, which resulted in many holes in the slab of limestone. _

_Kai set the puzzle piece into place several minutes later, having taken a moment or two to find its proper location. It completed the corner in the upper left, which showed a table with all seven of the legendary Millennium Items set on it, making a pyramid design. At the bottom were the Millennium Scale, Eye, and the Necklace. Resting above them were the Millennium Ring and Key. Finally, the Millennium Rod sat on top, and the Millennium Puzzle in the back, bloated to a massive size so as to swallow the six others with ease, showing its awesome power that easily overcame the other six._

_ However, the strangest thing happened as Kai observed the corner: It sealed back together! All of the crack's and lines that had separated the tile into its individual pieces suddenly came together as if nothing had happened._

_ Second, and even stranger, the ground where Kai had been standing when he found the stone fragment suddenly caved in. When Kai moved closer to investigate it further, he found that the earth had not fallen in on itself, but had actually dissolved! The hole was no less than two feet deep and fifteen inches long, as well as nine inches wide._ _A bright golden light began to be emitted from the small pit, forcing Kai to shield his eyes as he approached. _

_Finally, as he_ _stood over the lip of the hole, the light began to diminish. It took Kai a minute for his eyes to readjust, but once they had they widened in shock. _

_In the ground lay a long bar of gold, a point on one end and a large ball on the other with diamond shaped wings on the sides of said ball._

_ "The Millennium Rod." he whispered, a_ _questioning tone in his voice. He reached_ _into the ground and pulled the item out, a warm feeling washing over his body as he did so. It felt so comfortable and just plain right to be holding it. He held the shaft in his left hand grabbed the end of it at the base of the sphere in his right before giving it a 45 degree twist and pulling with his right hand side, revealing a long knife blade._

_ He reinserted the dagger into its sheath and then held the Rod timidly in both hands as if he was handling an extremely valuable and fragile object. Again it began to glow, as if it could sense his disbelief and fear, once more spreading a powerful, reassuring feeling over Kai's body._

_***_

That was a day that had changed many things in Kai's life.He returned home shortly after, never telling anyone of the Item he had found. He wasn't sure why or how, but the Millennium Rod seemed to be constantly sending him messages concerning what actions he should take. For nearly six months he had supposed it was a Yami spirit that he had read about, but then he realized that such spirits existed only in the Millennium Ring and Puzzle, plus they were known for seizing control of their host and helping them in Dueling, something that had never happened to Kai inthe past years_._

However, it had indeed been one of those same feelings that had warned Kai to accept the Rare Hunters challenge. He wasn't sure why, but for some reason it seemed that the Rod hadn't wanted Kai to defeat Kevin; not yet anyway.

Kai was started from his thoughts by a sound coming from the alley ahead of him. He approached with caution, fearing that anything sudden may get him involved in a fight of sorts.

"Just because I lost doesn't mean I'm going to hand over my Locator Card." a voice sneered.

"Um, yes you will." The other replied. 

Kai heard what sounded like a bar or stick strike clothing rather rapidly, and then a low thud. He quickly turned the corner, his arms raised to defend himself should the need arise. However, the site that he beheld was actually quite amusing.

A young man, about fifteen, dressed in the robes of a samurai and carrying a wooden bokken in his left arm and draped over his shoulder stood over an unconscious man who wore the garb of a Rare Hunter. He reached down and with his right hand quickly snatched the mans Locator Card and a Duel Monsters card from his deck. He pocketed the plastic covered chip he pocketed in his blue robes while the card was inserted into his deck. He looked over the fallen man for a second before his senses were alerted by a leaf crunching under the weight of Kai's foot. The boy twisted his head to the end of the alley were he spotted his next victim.

"Hey," He said defensively, backing away from the fallen Rare Hunter. "I won fare and square. Plus, he attacked me first. He just didn't think I was that fast."

"I know." Kai said calmly. "I've dealt with these Rare Hunter guys before; I believe you."

"Well then, since you're here, care to Duel?" the young man laughed as he reached into his pocket. "I've got two Locator Cards so far." He held the two cards up for Kai to view.

"Well, I've got three." Kai smirked, pulling the three plastic sheets from within his vest.

"Three eh?" The boy marveled. "Alright, I'll make you a deal. You wager your three, and I'll put up my two, plus _two_ rare cards. Agreed?" Kai nodded. "Then let's Duel." he shouted, activating his Duel Disk. Kai did the same. "I'll go first." 

"Before that, what's your name?" Kai asked. "I'm Kai Kaethan.'

"The name's Vaun Hiten. Now, if you'll please let me go, I'll take my turn. And I summon Marauding Captain (1200/400) in attack mode." A tall man in silver armor and a flowing blue cape bearing a large broad sword in his hand appeared. "And every good captain needs an army, so I'll activate my Marauding Captains special ability to search my deck for a warrior monster with 1500 or few attack points and instantly special summon it in attack or defense mode." he smiled as he pulled his deck free from his Duel Disk. "So I'll summon a second Marauding Captain, also in attack mode, and then use his special ability to summon this monster from my deck; Queens Knight (1500/1600), in defense mode!" Next to the first warrior appeared a copy of him, and then next to them both was a young lady with blond hair and red armor, waiting on one knee.

"Is that all?" Kai asked.

"Not quite. I'll set one more card face down and end my turn." Vaun smirked as a brown-backed card appeared before him. 

"Then it's my turn." Kai grimaced. On the very first move of the Duel he had allowed his opponent to get_three_ monsters into battle position. "I'll summon my X-Head Cannon (1800/1500) in attack mode, which I'll use to destroy your Marauding Captain!" he shouted as the blue machine appeared. Its two shoulder mounted cannons focused in on one of Vaun's first two warriors and released twin lasers which destroyed him with ease.

Kai-4000/Vaun-3400

"You fool!" Vaun shouted. "You played directly into my hand. My Captains destruction activates my trap card: Line of Soul!" Vaun's face down card shifted into a position that made it visible. "When one of my monsters is destroyed, I can pay 1000 of my Life Points to specially summon one monster who's level is four or lower from my deck to the field." Vaun once again pulled his deck free from his Duel Disk. "So I'll summon Kings Knight (1600/1500) to the field in attack mode. And his special ability states that when he arrives in play with the Queen already on the field, I can summon this from my deck: Jacks Knight (1900/1400) in attack mode!" A man in orange armor and a short broad sword appeared, fallowed by a you man in blue and white armor.

Kai-4000/Vaun-2400 

"I'll set two cards face down to end my turn, as I can't change my Cannons position this turn." Kai grimaced.

"Then I draw," Vaun laughed, adding the new card to his hand. "And now I'll have my Jacks Knight attack you X-Head Cannon!" The blue armored knight ran forward preparing his sword for an attack.

"Trap card!" Kai yelled. "Negate Attack blocks your attack this turn." 

"Your defenses will break eventually; I'm in no hurry." Vaun boasted. Kai drew a card.

"I'll set one monster in defense mode and end my turn by switching X-Head Cannon into defense mode, and setting one more card face down." 

"Show some courage. Try to bring honor to your family name, like I strive for!" Vaun laughed again. (6)"I'll have my Queens Knight attack and destroy your X-Head Cannon, fallowed by an attack by my Jacks Knight on your defense monster." The young woman rose up and leapt into the air, swinging her sword down and cutting the blue and gold tank-piece in two. Next the blue warrior charged in and swung down on the face down monster, which split in two, and then reappeared in the form of a beautiful elf with blue skin who was kneeling and chanting.

"My Mystical Elf has 100 more defense points than your monster has attack points, which means that you lose the difference." Kai sighed as the score stood in his favor.

Kai-4000/Vaun-2300

"Your turn." Vaun called, seaming unfazed by the turn of events.

"Draw!" Kai shouted. "I pass this turn." he sighed as he observed that the card he had draw was of no use.

"You're finished." Vaun called. "And to think, its been only a few turns." He set another monster into play. A man in red armor armed with a long sword at his side appeared.. "Knight Comander (1200/1900) in attack mode!"

"Your monster looks rather weak to me." Kai responded.

"Ah, but you've overlooked his special ability." Vaun responded. "You see, as long as I have another warrior monster in play, Knight Commander can't be attacked. But even more important is the fact that he raises all warrior type monsters attack points by 500!"

Kai's eyes widened in horror as Knight Commander's attack points raised to 1700, Jacks Knight to 2400, Kings Knight to 2100, Queens Knight to 2000, and Marauding Captain also to 1700.

"Now Jacks Knight, destroy his Mystical Elf!" Vaun commanded. The blue warrior ran up towards the elf and slashed down, cutting her to pieces. "Now I'll have my other monsters attack your Life Points, starting with Queens Knight."

"My turn for another trap!" Kai called, pressing the button on his Duel Disk. "Cloning will make me a copy of one of your monsters, your Jacks Knight (1900/1400), to be more specific. And he too receives the attack bonus of your Knight Commander, placing him at 2400 attack points, more than enough to counter attack your Queens Knight." The red armored woman was met suddenly by a copy of the blue armored soldier, who parried her attack before slashing her across the belly, destroying her.

Kai-4000/Vaun-2200 

"I'll end my turn by switching my Marauding Captain, Kings Knight, and Jacks Knight all to defense mode." Vaun said.

"Then I draw." Kai began. "And since I can't target your Knight Commander right now, I'll have my Jacks Knight attack and destroy yours Marauding Captain!" The knight charged past the caped warrior, cutting him in two. "I'll then set a monster in defense mode. Your turn."

"You're a fool." Vaun called. "I'll activate this magic card, Black Luster Ritual!" An emblem with two swords crossing over it appeared on the ground with a brown pot full of flames on either side. The two flames reached out and grabbed the King and Jacks Knight, incinerating them and pulling their souls into the pots. The flames then turned blue and both flowed into the emblem, which fired out a bolt of golden light that when it had diminished revealed a soldier in blue and gold armor, hosting a curved sword and a large shield. "This card forced me to sacrifice monsters until their combined levels equaled eight so summon one of the most powerful monsters ever; the Black Luster Soldier (3000/2500). And as if he wasn't impressive enough with 3000 attack points, he now gains another 500 from my Knight Commander, raising his attack points up to 3500! Black Luster Soldier, attack with Chaos Blade!" A golden light was released from the warriors sword which completely devastated the Jacks Knight, destroying it.

Kai-2900/Vaun-2200

"My move." Kai growled. He had one monster on the field in defense mode, but it wouldn't do him much good unless he got something to combine with it. "Draw!" Kai called, smiling when the green outline came into view. "I play Hand Rebirth, which will force us both to discard out hands and daw new ones of five." Both players slid their hands into their Graveyards and pulled new ones free. "I'll summon Y-Dragon Head in attack mode, and then flip over my Z-Metal Tank into attack mode. And when these two monsters are together on the field, they can fuse into one monster!" Kai yelled as the red dragon and yellow tank merged into one monster with the body of the dragon having been slid into a compartment in the middle of the Z Tank, creating a dragon designed rover. "YZ-Tank Dragon! (2100/2200)"

"So what." Vaun grinned. "My favorite monster, the unstoppable Black Luster Soldier, has an attack power that easily surpasses yours."

"True, but my monster also has a special ability." Kai countered. "By discarding one card from my hand, I can instantly destroy one card on your field, so I'll choose your Black Luster Soldier!" Kai called as he slipped one of his cards into the Graveyard. The red dragons mouth opened and released a single laser that cut through the Black Luster Soldier and destroyed it. "Now, YZ-Tank Dragon, attack his Knight Commander!" The cannons on either side of the dragons mouth fired at the last monster on Vaun's field, as well as a good number of his remaining Life Points.

Kai-2900/Vaun-1800

"This Duel's mine." Kai muttered under his breath.

"Don't get too confident." Vaun warned. "I summon a monster in defense mode and set one card face down which will end my turn."

"You know, you'd do better if you used more magic and trap cards." Kai grinned. "YZ-Tank Dragon, attack and destroy his defense monster!"

"You've fallen into my trap!" Vaun called. "Enchanted Javelin!" A long pole fell from the sky and speared through the lasers as they destroyed Vaun's defending Dark Blade. "This trap card raises my Life Points by the amount of attack points of your monster."

Kai-2900/Vaun-4000

"My turn ends as I set one more card face down." Kai called.

"I'll play the magic card Reinforcement to the Army, which allows me to search my deck for a warrior monster with a level of four or lower and place it in my hand." Vaun again slipped his deck free of the Duel Disk and added a card from it to his hand. "Next I'll summon Exiled Force in attack mode." A group of men with archaic weapons appeared in front of Vaun. "Now I'll use my monsters special ability: by sacrificing my face up Exiled Force, I can instantly destroy your monster." The men with weapons all disappeared, however so did Kai's YZ-Tank Dragon. "Now I'll activate Monster Reborn to revive my Black Luster Soldier (3000/2500)!" Vaun shouted as his blue armored warrior appeared. "Now my Soldier, attack his Life Points directly!" The Soldier struck his sword against the ground and a golden beam serged through the earth, aimed straight for Kai.

"Activate trap, Mechanical Magic Mirror!" Kai shouted. A figure of wires with mirrors making up his head, hands, abdomen, etc appeared with the image of a Monster Reborn in his all of them. "This trap card will allow me to activate one magic card in your Graveyard when you attack, and I've chosen Monster Reborn!" On Kai's field appeared his Mystical Elf in defense mode. "And I'll fallow that up with my other face down card, Magical Hats!" Four silken top hats appeared and covered the Elf. Three more then appeared and they shuffled around. 

The Black Luster Soldiers attack finally collided, but when the dust cleared all that had happened was that the hat no longer existed.

"You missed." Kai grinned. "That makes it my turn again." He drew a card. "I'll sacrifice my Mystical Elf to summon the Beast of Gilfar (2200/2500) in defense mode!" The hats all disappeared and the Elf vanished, replaced by a blue figure with rust-colored armor. "Attack it if you dare."

"You're joking, right." Vaun taunted. "Because if that's all you've got, you're done. Black Luster Soldier, attack." The blue demon exploded as the attack struck it. "My turn ends." 

"I'll summon my Kuriboh (300/200) in defense mode, set one card face down, and then play Monster Reborn on my Buster Blader (2600/2300)!" Kai shouted. "Buster Blader, attack his Black Luster Soldier, now!" The swordsman with the larger, broader sword leapt into the air and slashed down. The blue armored warrior raised his own weapon to block, but was cleaved in half by the attack.

"How?" Vaun gasped.

"My Beast of Gilfar's special ability." Kai grinned. "When he's sent to the graveyard, I can use his wandering soul to infect and weaken one of your monsters by 500 points. That made Black Luster Soldier's attack points a mere 2500, while Buster Blader had 2600."

Kai-2900/Vaun-3900

"Now my turn is over." 

"You think that you can beat the unrivaled speed of my warrior deck. Haven't you figured it out? I can use my monsters abilities and magic cards to accumulate an army at speeds that you'll never understand. And now that you're out of cards in your hand, you've got nothing."

'Speed.' Kai commented mentally. 'That's his secret; of course. His monsters have all been able to work together to make a superior force!'

"I set one card face down and then set one monster in defense mode. You're turn." Vaun called.

"I'll summon Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer in attack mode." Kai laughed. "Kycoo, attack his defense monster now!" The shrine priest began to mutter a small curse before a ball of light appeared before him and struck the defensive card.

"You've attacked my Dishonored Samurai (1400/1500)." Vaun laughed. "And therefore triggered his special ability. When he's destroyed, I can destroy one of your monsters as well, so say goodbye to your Buster Blader." The ancient warrior monster clutched his chest were Kycoo had hit him, but then drew both his swords and thrust them into Kai's Buster Blader.

Kai-2900/Vaun-3600

"Wait, why did your Life Pints go down?" Kai demended.

"That's the one drawback to using my Samurai. You see, if he's in defense mode when he's destroyed, I still take the battle damage." Vaun sighed. "But it doesn't make any difference to me, as your monster is gone. Now I'll summon Sword of Soul (0/1900) in defense mode and end my turn." 

"Unfortunately for you, Kycoo's effect now comes into play. When he does battle damage to your Life Points, I can remove two cards in your Graveyard from play: Black Luster Soldier and Jacks Knight." Vaun held his hand up to his Graveyard, which released the two cards into his palm. He then slipped them into a compartemnt on the side for cards that were removed from play. "Plus, your current monster looks rather weak to me." Kai commented. "I'll play Forgotten Curse. This magic card can only be activated if I have a spellcaster monster in play and keeps me from attacking this turn, but it will destroy your monster." Kai called as the golden sword melted away.

"You fell into my trap." Vaun called. "I'll activate my face down monster magic card, Blue Knight Legion!" A knight in electric blue armor appeared on Vaun's field. "For every card I discard this turn, I get one Blue Knight Token monster in play with 500 attack and defense points, in attack mode." Vaun explained as he deposited one card to his Graveyard.

"And this is a trap how?" Kai asked. "My Ghost Destroyer has 1300 more attack points than your does."

"True, but you've overlooked my Sword of Soul's special ability. When it's destroyed, the next monster I summon receives a 1000 attack boost, placing my Blue Knight at 1500 attack points."

"Okay, but you're still 300 points short." Kai called.

"Except for this other magic card, the Army Forces!" Vaun shouted as he slid the card into play. "For every Warrior or Spellcaster monster on either players field, all of _my_ warriors get a 200 attack bonus, so now my Blue Knight has 1900 attack points! Blue Knight Legion, attack!" The warrior raised his sword and slashed down, cutting the Ghost Destroyer in half. 

Kai-2800/Vaun-3600

"I don't have any moves open to me other than this: I'll activate my face down card, Multiply!" Kai shouted. "This magic card allows me to sacrifice one face up Kuriboh on my field, but in exchange I can summon five Kuriboh Tokens in defense mode to protect my Life Points. I'll also set one card down. Make your move." 

"You've just played into my hand." Vaun called. "I may have only three cards in my hand, but they're three cards that will make all the difference for me."

"I doubt that three cards can make all the difference." Kai remarked.

"Hm, well take a look." Vaun smiled. "First I summon the monster, Fiend Megacyber (2200/1200)!" A figure in gold armor and blue robes materialized on t he field.

"How?" Kai gasped. "That's a level six monster, but you summoned it without any sacrifice."

"My Fiend Megacyber's special ability states that it can be specially summoned without a sacrifice when you have at least two monsters more than I do in play, and five Kuriboh against my one Blue Knight Legion is more than enough. Next I'll play the magic card, Warrior Returning Alive, which will revive one of my warrior monsters in attack mode." A man in blue and silver armor carrying a broadsword appeared on the field. "Freed the Matchless General (2300/1700), who you discarded at the beginning of this Duel with your Hand Rebirth. And now, just to make things even more interesting, I'll summon Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight, in attack mode (2300/2100)!" A blue armored man on the back of a bright violet steed appeared. "You see, if he's the only card in my hand, I can summon him without a sacrifice, but it is a normal summon, so that's the last of this battalion."

'Not good.' Kai screamed in his head. 'Once again, he's been able to use the speed effects of his monsters to get ahead.'

"Now my monsters, destroy four of his five Kuriboh!" Vaun commanded. While Freed and the Blue Knight Legion both slashed down, Gaia charged in and peirced on of the Kuriboh and Fiend Megacyber delivered a massive blow, each attack being precise and obliterating one of the balls of fur. 

"I'll summon another monster in defense mode and end my turn." Kai called.

  


"You're finished Kai, or did you forget that all of my monsters get a power boost from my Army Forces!" Vaun laughed as Gaia and Freed both increased their attack points to 3100, Fiend Megacyber to 3000, and Blue Knight Legion to 2300. "Now Blue Knight Legion, attack the last Kuriboh!" The blue knight raised his sword up and effectively cut the Kuriboh to pieces. "Now Fiend Megacyber, attack and destroy his defense monster!" The gold warrior charged in and punched into the brown card, which changed and took the form of a large vermin of sorts.

"You made a hasty move." Kai smirked as he removed his arm from his eyes. "That was my Nimble Momonga, which will both raise my Life Pints by 1000, and then summon his two brothers from my deck in defense mode." Two more of the rodents appeared on Kai's field as he reshuffled his deck. "And you said I didn't have speed. Anyway, you could attack me, but that would only raise my Life Points even further, so what are you going to do?"

Kai-3800/Vaun-3600

"You may go for now." Vaun hissed. "But it doesn't make much difference to me. Next turn I'll increase my armies size and then you'll be sorry."

"My move." Kai called. "I activate the magical Card of Sanctity! We both draw a new hand of six cards now!" Both players gladly grabbed new cards into their hands, relived by the new development. "Now Vaun it's time that I showed you some real speed, starting with this card." Kai grinned. "Dark Magic Curtain!"

"What's that?"

"This magic card will allow me to pay half of my Life Points to summon a monster from my hand, deck, or Graveyard. The monster that this card summons, the only monster that it _can_ summon is this," he called, pulling it from his deck and turning it to show Vaun. "The Dark Magician (2500/2100)!"

Kai-1900/Vaun-3600

"You still don't have enough attack points to touch me." Vaun pointed out.

"You're right; or at least you would be if it weren't for my face down card, Mystical Space Typhoon, which will destroy one of your magic cards, namely your Army Forces!" A spiral of wind burst from Kai's magic card and destroyed the magic card, lower all of the warrior monsters attack points back to their original values. "Next, to raise my Life Points a bit more." Kai called as he fiddled with his five remaining cards. "Now it's time for my Hysteric Fairy, in attack mode. And by sacrificing my two remaining Nimble Momonga's, I can use her special ability to reaise my Life Points by 1000." The two rats disappeared as the angel raised her arms heavenwards and a golden dust descended upon Kai, increasing his Life Points.

Kai-2900/Vaun-3600

"Now I'll play the magic card Magical Academy! This magic card forces me to discard two cards to the Graveyard, but in exchange I can summon one of my spellcaster monsters to the field without cost, and then raise their level by two and their attack points by 500, so I'll choose my Chaos Command Magician (2900/1900) in attack mode."

"Why raise his level?" Vaun demanded.

"So that I can use this magic card, Diffusion Wave Motion!" Kai explained. "By paying 1000 of my Life Points, I can allow one of my magician monsters to attack all of your monsters at once!"

Kai-1900/Vaun-3600

" So now, Chaos Command Magician, attack and destroy Freed the Matchless General, Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight, Fiend Megacyber, and Blue Legion Knight!" The mage raised his staff into the air as a ball of white light appeared at the head. Suddenly double white rings that crossed over each other erupted from the orb, expanding outward, cutting through Vaun's four monsters with ease.

Kai-1900/Vaun-400

"Now Dark Magician, attack his Life Points directly!" The violet robed magician aimed his staff at Vaun, striking him with a wave of black magic, knocking him onto his back. "I win."

The holograms faded away as Kai's Duel Disk deactivated. He approached Vaun, who remained on the ground, his face full of shock. Finally, as the shadow of the older youth overcame him, he raised himself to his feet and faced his opponent.

"I've been defeated. It would seem that my families honor must wait a while longer." he moaned. "Here are my two Locator Cards and two rarest cards: Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight and Black Luster Soldier."

"Hold it." Kai rebuffed, taking the first three prizes, but pushing back on the ritual monster. "I can't take that. It's your favorite card, plus I can't make use of it without the ritual magic card."

"What would you like in its place?" Vaun asked.

"How's about your Fiend Megacyber?" Kai asked.

"Very well." Vaun agreed soberly as he replaced the original Black Luster Soldier with the requested card. Kai pocketed all four cards and turned to leave, stopped by a hand on his shoulder. "Please take this as well." Vaun pleaded, holding up his bokken. "To some samurai, it was a way of redeeming themselves by giving the victor their sword. Therefore, take this to help me feel that I have acknowledged your superiority."

Kai opened his mouth to object, thought a second time about it, and then took the wooden sword. "See you around kid."

"After Battle City, look me up." Vaun replied, turning around. "Perhaps we could spar together, or even go out and enjoy some sake."

"I don't drink." Kai responded with a smile.

"Then tea it is." Vaun called over his shoulder as he departed the alley, leaving Kai alone.

'After Battle City.' Kai repeated to himself in his mind. 'Well, at least I know one thing I'll do then.'

  


_To Be Continued...._

  


OK, so how was that. Just to clear things up, the major changes to card text I made were:

Dark Magic Curtain

Marauding Captain

Fiend Megacyber

Warrior Returning Alive

Army Forces (A. Forces)

  


OK, so please don't give me a hard time about this.Also, cards that _I_ made for this chapter that are _my_ original design:

Dishonored Samurai

Forgotten Curse

  


Any other cards that you didn't recognize are most likely only in Japan right now, or are only in the animated series so far and will appear later on. Until my next chapter, see ya.


	5. Blue Eyed Struggle

Here I am with another chapter all. This time we've got a segment staring Kevin Hunter, so let's get going. But first off, my Card of the Chapter:

Chaos Soldier-Messenger of Creation

3000/2500/Warrior/Light/8

Effect: _This card cannot be Normal Summoned. Remove one Light and one Dark type monster in your Graveyard from play to Special Summon this card. Once during your turn, select and activate one of the fallowing effects:_

_-Remove one monster one the field from the game. If you activate this effect this monster cannot attack that turn._

_-If this card destroys an opponents monster in battle, this monster may continue to attack one more time._

  


Here is one of the two primary terrors (I'll do the other another time) coming out in the next expansion series some time in March or April. And why not? Very high stats and an efficient summoning cost. I mean, it's not that hard to get a Light and a Dark type monster in the Grave. You can use Magician of Faith, D.D. Warrior Lady, Reflect Bounder, or a number of other such monsters for your Light type, while Witch of the Black Forest, Sangan, Mask of Darkness, Des Feral Imp, etc are all great for a Dark type. Furthermore, either of his effects is great. Either take out an enemy monster for GOOD (See ya Jinzo) and making room for an attack is always fun. Or, we have the chance to deal a whole heck full of damage to the opponent is good.

Now, something I need to mention concerning the second effect. You cannot attack with CS, then use someone else to clear the field, then come back with CS. If you choose this effect, you must CARRY through with the attack. Once you've wiped out the first monster, you must then go ahead and attack again IMMEDIATELY!

  


Overall Rating: 4/5

_All information concerning this and most other Japanese cards comes from Edo's Yugioh Page. For more info, ask me for the URL and I'll hook you up. _

Now for some advertising: The works of Daisuke Kun are great. They are creative as well as the largest Yu-Gi-Oh story on ff.net, with 181 chapters, while his other one just broke 100 a few weeks ago. Go and read, and ignore any problems you have at the start. Just press forward, you wont regret it.

  


Now, on with the fic:

  


Disclaimer: I don't own it. That's final!

Chapter 5: Blue Eyed Struggle

Kevin Hunter kicked the pavement of the street as he continued down the road. Ever since he and Kai had

gone their separate ways after the Duel with the Rare Hunters three hours ago. He had managed to fit a good number of the Rare Hunter's cards into his deck, but other than that, nothing particularly exciting had occurred.

'I wish I could find an opponent. I've been in three Duels so far but have only three Locator Cards to show for it. I wish Kai had waited on the Rare Hunters. Then I could have taken his Locator Card and Hand Rebirth card. But why did he accept in the first place?'

His thoughts returned to his previous Duels. The first opponent had been easy enough to defeat. After only a few turns and combinations had he won their prized Megamorph magic card, which he had hoped to make use of but had so far been without luck.

Then there was the Duel with Kai. Only a few other opponents before him had been able to push Kevin that hard. But what had scared him most of all was that Kai may have won had they continued. He was unsure and didn't want to go back, keep the Rare Hunters from interfering, and find out. 

Finally the Duel with the Rare Hunters. It had been difficult, but with Kai as a partner it hadn't been too strenuous. Not to mention he had acquired a good number of powerful and rare cards in the process.

Kevin rested his shoulder against a warehouse door and folded his arms in frustration. "Where are all the Duelists?" I shouted in rage, twisting and punching the door. "I need some Locator Cards!" He smashed his other fist into the wooden door again and heard a click, fallowed by the sound of metal on concrete. The door slowly opened, a faint laugh echoing throughout the structure.

Kevin stepped in, his feet brushing the rusted steel lock that he had broken off when he was attacking the door. "Hello?" he called into the dark.

"Kevin Hunter, age sixteen, rank: four Stars," A voice responded as the laughter disappeared. "And your rarest card is one of the three Blue Eyes White Dragons." The voice seemed to be coming from everywhere as a result of the echos created by the hallow building. "You use a dragon deck, with a few other elements to help it along, resulting a small lack of flow between strategies." A figure suddenly dropped to the ground several meters ahead of Kevin, having fallen from a crossbeam high above. 

He was robed in white pants and shirt of sorts. Leather boots covered his feet as did a white cloth that wrapped around his face, masking all but his eyes and a curved scar that ran through the one on the right. A few small spikes of blond hair reached out from under his covering, giving a feeling of only greater mystery.

"My name is Nick Freed, and I challenge you to a Duel!" he shouted, pointing at Kevin with his left arm while his Duel Disk activated. "You see, I to use a Dragon Deck, and I would absolutely love to add your Blue Eyes White Dragon to it, as well as another dragon that you possess." he cooed, narrowing his eyes. "I'm sure that you know of what I speak. However, I dare not utter its name until it has touched the field.

"Fine." Kevin grinned as his Duel Disk activated. "I have a feeling that you've what I want."

"If you're referring to the other two Blue Eyes, no." Nick replied, closing his eyes. "But after I have yours, I'll use it to flush out the other two."

"And you'll do that how?" Kevin asked.

"Because I'm looking for them." A new voice called from behind Kevin. He turned while Nick raised his sight above his opponent to view the intruder. 

She was tall and slender, most likely 17 or so. Her hair was brown and waving, reaching her shoulders. She wore black pants with a teal shirt, a blue trench coat hanging open over her whole body, somewhat hugging her upper form and then fanning out loose from just above her waist down.

"My name is Serena, and I want that dragon." she stated calmly, glaring at Kevin.

"Listen lady," he started. "I'm Dueling him first, but I promise I'll deal with you afterwards." Serena opened her mouth to object, but then closed it and looked on with a bemused grin on her features.

"You seem confident." Nick chuckled as Kevin turned back to the Duel. "Of course you're running on the assumption that you'll get past me."

"I'm not worried." Kevin called back, drawing five cards. "So, two rare cards and two Locator Cards?" Nick nodded. "Then I'll start this Duel with my Ryu-Kishin Powered (1600/1200) in attack mode!" A red gargoyle creature appeared, rubbing his claws together greedily. "Then I'll set one card face down and end my turn."

"I'll summon my Blackland Fire Dragon (1500/800) in defense mode and end my turn." Nick stated calmly as a green dragon appeared.

'That was too simple for him.' Kevin concluded mentally. 'He summon that weak monster without anything to protect it. He even let me see it and know its stats. I don't like this at all.'

"I'll summon Spear Dragon (1900/0) in attack mode!" Kevin shouted as the blue scaled monster appeared. "And his special ability allows him to deal damage to you, even though your monster is in defense mode. Go Spear Dragon, Cyclone Blast!" The dragons long beak opened as a rapidly spinning twister burst out and crushed the smaller green beast.

Kevin-4000/Nick-2900

"Now my Ryu-Kishin can attack your Life Points directly!" The red creature charged in and swiped at Nick, knocking him back a bit. 

Kevin-4000/Nick-1600

"Finally, my Spear Dragon switches to defense mode, ending my turn."

"Then I'll go." Nick stated calmly. "You should have been a bit more careful when you so hastily summoned your Spear Dragon, Mr. Hunter. You should always be causous about his second ability, as being forced into defense mode with a defensive power of zero can be devastating, as I'll show you now." He picked a new card from his deck and then added it to his hand, selecting another. "I'll summon my own Spear Dragon (1900/0) in attack mode! Now my monster, attack his Spear Dragon!" 

Kevin-2100/Nick-1600

"I'll also set two cards face down and end my turn." Nick finished.

"Fine. I'll sacrifice my Ryu-Kishin Powered for my Luster Dragon (2400/1400)! Now my dragon, Burst Stream!" Kevin shouted. The green flames incinerated the blue dragon on Nick's field.

"I'll activate my trap card, Dragon Horde!" Nick called. "This trap card can only be activated when one of my monsters is destroyed, but it allows me to search my deck for three dragon monsters who's attack points are all under 1000 and summon them to the field in defense mode." He pulled his deck free and began to thumb through it. "I'll summon Pitch-Dark Dragon (900/600), Troop Dragon (700/800), and Two-Mouth Darkruler (900/700)."

"I'll end my turn by setting another card face down." Kevin growled. The Duel wasn't going his way at all.

"My turn." Nick called. "And I'll activate my quick-play magic card, Last Breath! This allows me to special summon a dragon monster with of level 5 or higher without a sacrifice until the end of my turn, when it will have to go the Graveyard. So I'll summon my Kiryu (2000/1500) in attack mode. Next I'll active my magic card, Wingbeat of Giant Dragon! This forces me to return one dragon type monster on my field with a level of five or higher to my hand, and then it will destroy all magic and trap cards on the field!"

A large dragon of fire appeared on the field and soared over to Kevin, brushing over his two set cards and destroying them. "Now I'll sacrifice my Two-Mouth Dark Ruler for my Black Onyx Dragon (2500/2600)!" Nick shouted as a black dragon with shimmering scales appeared. "Black Onyx Dragon, attack his Luster Dragon now!" The reptilian creature raised his head and unleashed a wave of orange flames that incinerated Kevin's monster.

Kevin-2000/Nick-1600

"I draw!" Kevin shouted. "I summon a monster in defense mode and end my turn!"

"Now I'll sacrifice my Troop Dragon to summon one of my rarest cards." Nick chuckled. A small silver/green dragon with four narrow wings appeared. "My Different Dimension Dragon (1200/1500) in attack mode! Also, when my Troop Dragon goes to the Graveyard, he's allowed to specially summon one of his relatives to the field in defense mode. Now I'll have my Black Onyx Dragon attack your monster, fallowed up by a direct attack from my Dimension Dragon!" 

The orange flames crashed down on Kevin's monster, which revealed itself to be a purple dragon with two heads. It exploded, clearing the way for the ray of rainbow colored lights that was the Different Dimension Dragon's attack.

"Not quite." Kevin called. "My defensive monster was my Twin-Headed Behemoth (1500/12000, which will reform now with 1000 defense points, blocking your attack!" 

"Very well." Nick replied. "I'll set one card face down. Your turn." 

"I'll summon my Possessed Dark Soul (1200/800) in attack mode!" Kevin called. "Next I'll sacrifice him for his special ability: when Possessed Dark Soul is sacrificed, I can seize control of all your monsters with a level of 3 or lower!" Kevin explained as his fiery creature melted away. "So now, Troop Dragon and Pitch-Dark Dragon, come to me!" The two monsters on Nick's field both disappeared in a flash and then reappeared on Kevin's field. "Now I'll use this magic card, Second Summon!"

"What's that?" Nick demanded.

"This magic card will allow me to summon one dragon monster this turn, even though I've already done my summon for this move. So I sacrifice your two monsters to summon this: my Blue Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500)!" Nick stepped back in fear as Serena's lips cracked into a smile. "White Lightning!" The dragon's attack reached out for Nick's Different Dimension Dragon, which began to quake and jolt under the pressure. However, once the attack had cleared, the dragon still remained. "What?"

"My Dragon's special ability!" Nick explained. "He cannot be destroyed by an attack greater than 1900."

"But you'll still take damage." Kevin grinned. "So I win."

"Not quite." Nick replied. "I'll activate my face down trap card, Selfless Sacrifice!" The trap card in front of Nick activated as his Graveyard ejected itself from the Duel Disk. "I can remove monster in my Graveyard from play until their combined attack points are equal to the damage I would take, and therefore negate the damage." He held up his two Troop Dragons and Two-Mouth Darkruler. "Also, something you may have missed when you summoned that dragon, but now my third Troop Dragon is in summoned in defense mode!"

"Go." Kevin growled.

"Gladly. I'll summon a monster in defense mode and switch my Black Onyx Dragon and Different Dimension Dragon to defense mode. That ends my turn."

"Go Blue Eyes, White Lightning!" Kevin commanded. The burst of white light obliterated Nick's Black Onyx Dragon. "I'll also set one card face down and end my turn."

"I'll play my Horn of Light magic card to boost my Different Dimension Dragon's defense points by 800 (1200/2300). Then I'll end my turn." Nick said, maintaining his cold stare.

"Draw." Kevin called. "I'll summon Battle Ox in attack mode!" A tall Minotaur in red and brass armor wielding a massive axe appeared. "Go Battle Ox, attack his defense monster!" The bull swung down and cleaved Nick's card in half. However, it then reformed into a green scaled dragon that stood low on the ground as if sleeping.

"My Dragon Dwelling in the Cave (1300/2000) has 2000 defense point, which is 300 more than your Battle Ox has in attack points, so you take the damage." 

Kevin-1700/Nick-1600

"Blue Eyes, attack and destroy his Dragon Dwelling in the Cave!"

"I'll summon a monster in defense mode and end my turn." Nick declared.

"Battle Ox, attack!" 

"Reveal Cyber Jar (900/900)!" Nick declared as a silver pod with a green lens appeared. "This monster will destroy every monster on the field, then we each draw five cards and summon any with a level of 4 or lower. I'll summon Cave Dragon (2000/100) in attack mode and Grey Wing (1300/700) and Spirit Ryu (1000/1000) in defense mode!"

"I've got Vorse Raider (1900/1200) and Sapphire Dragon (1900/1600), both of which I'll place in attack mode. Now Sapphire Dragon, attack his Grey Wing!"

"My turn." Nick called. "I'll play Card of Sanctity, so we both draw until we each have six cards. So I draw four and you draw one." Both Duelists freed the designated number of cards from their decks. "Now it's time for Spirit Ryu's special ability, as I switch him to attack mode. For every dragon monster I discard right now, he'll gain an additional 1000 attack points, so I'll drop this one into the Grave right now." The image of a Curse of Dragon appeared for a second before dissolving, the Blue Dragon's size growing as a result as its power increased (2000/2000). "Spirit Ryu, attack his Vorse Raider now! Sonic Flash!" The dragon's mouth opened wide and large white rings sprung forth in a straight beam towards Kevin's grey skinned warrior, destroying it. "Now I'll have my Cave Dragon attack Sapphire Dragon!" The crouching lizard opened his mouth and a rush of wind ripped away at the blue skinned dragon. "Your turn."

Kevin-1500/Nick-1600

"I draw." Kevin stared at the cards in his hand. "You made a mistake Nick, by using Cyber Jar. That cost you your Different Dimension Dragon. He may be immune to my Magic and Trap cards, as well as my monster attacks, but monster effects are a different story. Also, your Spirit Ryu's attack points are now down to 1000 again." He fiddled with some cards and then pulled them free. "I summon Hologram Dragon (2000/1500) in attack mode!" A dragon appeared, flashing neon, appearing to be none solid and made of light. "This monster is one of my best defenses." Kevin commented as the dragon began to spin rapidly while moving around in circles.

"What's it doing?" Nick demanded. 

"When summon, Hologram Dragon will instantly create holographic images of himself which will appear in defense mode. Then they'll shuffle around each turn to keep you guessing which is which. The only drawback is that I can't attack with them or switch the original to defense mode. However, you have only a one in five chance of hitting the correct target." As Kevin explained this, four duplicates of his monster appeared, fallowing the original in their orbit, sometimes crossing over each other to confuse the players. Finally, they stopped and stared at Nick as if begging him to attack. "You can go."

"Clever Kevin, very clever." Nick grinned as he drew his card. "However, not clever enough. I'll now show you my greatest creature." The Spirit Ryu and Cave Dragon both disappeared as Nick prepared to place his new card on his Duel Disk. "I sacrifice two monsters to summon Tyrant Dragon (2900/2500)! Now attack and destroy two of his Holograms!" 

"Two?" Kevin asked.

"Yes, one of Tyrant Dragons special abilities is that he can attack twice so long as you have monsters on the field. So after his first attack," Nick broke off as his massive beast released a series of small comets that struck and obliterated one of Kevin's monster. "You still have four left, so I'll have my dragon attack again!" Another swarm or fire balls pummeled another Hologram Dragon, which disappeared. "I'll end my turn by setting one card face down and ending my turn."

"I play Pot of Greed." Kevin called. "So I now draw two cards into my hand."

'Nothing good.' Kevin shouted in his head. 'I'll just have to hope that I draw the card I need and soon.' He stared across the field at Nick and his dragon. The eyes that seemed so empty of emotion, yet very much filled with pride and desire. 'If he wants to see it, he'll get it.' Kevin swore.

"I'll end my turn by setting one card face down." Kevin called.

"I guess it's over." Nick sighed. "And I had so much hoped to see the greatest dragon I now of. You disappoint me Kevin Hunter."

"I still have my three defense monsters." Kevin pointed out.

"True, but one of them is in attack mode while the other two have rather low defense points of only 1500. And with my face down card, it doesn't matter. Activate Meteor Rain!" Nick shouted as his down card flipped up. "This trap will deal damage to you, even if your monster is in defense mode. That means that with two attacks, I'll give you 2400 points of damage. More than enough to finish you off. Tyrant Dragon, Apocalyptic Blast!" Two of the Dragons disappeared, the third going with them.

However, when all was said and done, a spinning disk could be seen in front of Kevin, all dust and debris passing him on either side, fended off by the disk.

"How is this possible?" Nick stammered. "I had you beat."

"Wrong." Kevin began. "You see, my face down card was one a friend gave me after we teamed up in a Duel called Guard of Card. By discarding one card from my hand from my hand I block all damage I take this turn."

"But all of your dragons have disappeared, meaning that the Duel is over and the holograms are shutting down." Nick pointed out.

"Actually, no." Kevin smiled. "You must have hit the real Hologram Dragon, which caused the last duplicate to disappear."

"It doesn't matter, anyway." Nick sighed as he turned his head to his Tyrant Dragon. "There's no way you'll be able to stop my monster."

"Not if I draw the right card." Kevin said, gripping the top card of his deck. Slowly he raised it to his eye level and smiled. "Well Nick, you said you wanted to see my great dragon other than my Blue Eyes, so here it is!" Kevin's Graveyard pushed two cards out before he slapped the card onto the Duel Disk. "I must remove one Dark and one Light type monster in my Graveyard from play before I can summon it, so I remove Hologram Dragon and Vorse Raider."

A dragon with scales of dark emerald and a silver exoskeleton appeared.. It beat its wings as it roared into the air. It turned to glare at Nick, its eye narrowing in anticipation of attacking the weakling and his equally weak beast. 

Nick stepped back involuntarily in fear. His eyes were open wide enough that one might believe that they could drop out just from a lack of skin to act as a valve to keep them in.

"Behold, Chaos Emperor Dragon-Messenger of the Apocalypse (3000/2500)!" Kevin called. "And now it's time for his special ability. By paying 1000 of my Life Points, I can remove all of the monsters you have on the field and all the cards in your hand to the Graveyard to deal you 300 points of damage for each card. And I have six while you have five, plus your Tyrant Dragon. That's 3600 points of damage to you." Kevin shouted as his monster released a stream of blue flames that struck Nick and pushed him back until his legs gave way and he fell to his back. The attack broke off and the dragon roared in triumph.

Kevin-500/Nick-0

Kevin walked over to Nick who had pushed himself into a sitting position. His face covering had been ripped apart and Kevin could clearly make out his features. The scar was in fact much bigger than he had originally expected for example, running from just above his left eye to barely higher than his upper lip. His hair was a darker blond than Kevin's, but was kept in a similar style. As Kevin approached, he looked up and rose to his feet. 

"I bare no grudge." Nick smiled. "I may have missed my chance at the Blue Eyes and Chaos Dragon, but I achieved my other goal: I managed to see them, battle them, and meet a great Duelist."

"That's all you really wanted?" Kevin asked in disbelief. Nick nodded.

"However, had you known that, you would have held back. I needed you to fight at your best, so I threatened your two greatest treasures. Here you go." He held up his Locator Card, Tyrant Dragon and Different Dimension Dragon for Kevin to take. "I must leave this tournament, but I wont allow this parting to be forever. I will reclaim my dragons. Until then, farewell." He then turned and charged towards the back. He jumped and caught a pole, which he used to swing up to a crossbeam that he used as a springboard to reach the window and leap out.

"Well, that was interesting." Serena's forgotten figure stated, slightly bemused as she exited the shadows. "Now, if you don't mind, it's time to Duel." Her Duel Disk activated. Kevin inserted the new cards and then reset his own Duel Disk.

"Before we start, tell me why you want the Blue Eyes, aside from its power and rarity." Kevin conditioned.

"Because it is mine by birthright." she hissed, drawing five cards.

"You mean..." Kevin began in shock as he too drew a new hand.

"Yes." she affirmed. "I am Serena Kaiba, Seto Kaiba's granddaughter!" 

'Wonderful!' Kevin cried within the silence of his room. 'Absolutely wonderful!'

  


_To Be Continued...._

  


Nick Freed is an OC by the making of the author G.O.T. Nick, whose story, Tokyo Tournament, is very good, and I advise all to read it.

Serena Kaiba is owned by Aldea, and I highly recommend her story as well.

  


The fallowing is a list of cards that _I_ made for this chapter that are _my_ original design:

Dragon Horde

Last Breath

Black Onyx Dragon

Selfless Sacrifice

Hologram Dragon

Second Summon 

  


Any other cards that you didn't recognize are most likely only in Japan right now, or are only in the animated series so far and will appear later on. Until my next chapter, see ya.


	6. Duel in the Light

Here I am with another chapter all. Sorry for the delay. This was NOT inspired! Also, I warn you all, this chapter sucks. It is perhaps the biggest load of crap I've ver written. If you want to state the obvious and tell me what a complete load of crap this is, understand that I not only agree with you, I _encourage_ you. But for now let's get going. But first off, my Card of the Chapter:

Maximum Six

Earth/Warrior/1900/1600/6

Effect: _When this monster is successfully summoned, roll a six sided die. Increase this monsters attack by that roll x200 as long as this card is face up on the field._  
Here's an interesting card. It made its first appearance just two weeks ago in the Anime in the Battle of Joey and Seig, and was a turning point for Joey, that is until Seig used his Valkyrie monsters to totally waste Joey!

Anyway, enough of that. This is a pretty nice card. Sure, he's a bit slow to summon, and has a rather low base attack. Then again, take another look my friends. First off, he's a warrior, which means that in the more effectively built decks, he can get out quickly, especailly with cards like Cost Down even out in the US. And then there's the actual effect. Even a one makes this a 2100 attack point monster which is farely basic. But then again, a 2 is 2300 attack, and a 3 is 2500. That means that you have a 2/3 chance of getting 2500-3100 attack points for one sacrifice! So, if you've strong luck and are good with dice, he's a nice card. Other words, I sadly don't recommend him very heavily.  
Overall Rating: 3/5

_All information concerning this and most other Japanese cards comes from Edo's Yugioh Page. For more info, ask me for the URL and I'll hook you up. _

Now for some advertising: Today I say "GO AND READ THE WORKS OF The Helldragon! Like humor? Go read The Madness of Yami Marik or Yu-Gi-Oh FanFiction for Dummies. Like angst, horror, or just REALLY hate Tea, go and read the Hive of Darkness Trilogy, starting with Insect Queen! GO I SAY!

Now, on with the fic:

Disclaimer: I don't own it. That's final!

Chapter 6: Duel in the Light

"I'll start this Duel." Serena Kaiba stated firmly as she drew a sixth card. "I summon a monster in defense mode and then set a card face down." 

Kevin-4000/Serena-4000

"My move then." Kevin stated. "I summon Battle Ox (1700/1000) in attack mode. Axe Slam attack!" he shouted. The bull charged across the field and swung down with his blade, which ricocheted off, throwing the Ox back. 

"You attacked my Spirit of the Harp (800/2000) which had enough defense points to block your attack as well as deal you 300 pints of damage. You done?" Serena asked curtly.

Kevin-3700/Serena-4000

"Yes, I am." 

"This I'll first activate my Solemn Wishes trap card before I draw." Serena said offhandedly as her face down card flipped up. "This continuous trap card will raise my Life Points by 500 every time I draw a card. Now I'll draw which will raise my Life Points." 

Kevin-3700/Serena-4500

"Now I'll set one card face down and summon my Reflect Bounder (1700/1000) in attack mode. That ends my turn." 

"I draw." Kevin looked his situation over. 'Alright, she's got twice as many monsters in play as I do, as well as a face down card and her Solemn Wishes raising her Life Points each turn. I need to get something big into play, and fast if I'm going to have even a chance at controlling the field. Now, let's see what we just drew....Yes!'

"I activate Pot of Greed to draw two new cards. Next I set one card face down and then I'll summon Alligator Sword (1500/1200) in defense mode. Your turn."

"Tell me Kevin, what do you believe this Duel to be about?" Serena asked.

"It's about one of the three rarest dragons in all of Duel Monsters." Kevin replied cooly. "It's about a struggle between us and our passions for that monster."

"Wrong." she replied coldly. "This is about your weak attachment to a card that belonged to one of the greatest Duelists ever, my grandfather. You think that it's yours, but you have no right to claim it. Furthermore, you were reckless enough to even go up against some street thugs and actually risk that dragon in the process. You were careless enough to allow them to nearly succeed. You shame the Blue Eyes White Dragon! And now, I'll prove it!"

"Listen," Kevin shouted back. "That Dragon was a gift from my father before he was killed three years ago! He received it from someone, and he wanted me to protect it!"

"Do you know where that first person got the dragon?" Serena asked. "It was one of the thieves who first murdered my grandfather and took that dragon. He had fortunately already given one to my father, and another he had sent to Yugi Moto for a time for protection. Seto had intended to reclaim the one from Yugi, but decided to do so when my father was old enough to protect it himself. Until then, grandfather Kaiba had decided to split the three dragons up for security reasons. That thief had no right to take the dragon and then give it to your father. As to why they gave it to him in the first place escapes me, but it doesn't matter. That dragon is mine by blood."

"Mine as well. This was a gift to my father, and it was prized by him above all others. I never new how he died, but I had hoped that by keeping the dragon close to my heart, I could get it to tell me who or what killed him." Kevin defended. "That is why I Duel. Furthermore, by holding this card, I can use it to find the others, and maybe lure out whoever it is that killed him."

"It makes no difference to me." Serena called, drawing a card, activating Solemn Wishes again. "I play my Malevolent Nuzzler to raise Reflect Bounder's attack points by 700."

"I think not." Kevin interrupted, pressing a button on his Duel Disk. "My face down card, Riryoku Field will cancel out your card."

Kevin-3700/Serena-5000

"Very well." Serena muttered as she grabbed a card from her hand. "I summon Shining Abyss (1600/1800) in attack mode! Now Shining Abyss, attack and destroy Alligator Sword!" Serena commanded. The winged creature fired a beam of white light that destroyed the reptilian swordsman. "Now, Reflect Bounder, direct attack!" The mirrored monster fired a blast of white light that struck Kevin in the chest, pushing him back a bit. 

Kevin-2000/Serena-5000

"My turn." Kevin called as he drew a card. "I play Heavy Storm!" He shouted as the massive hurricane began to rip at the cards on Serena's field. "Now your done raising your Life Points! Now I set another card face down and then I summon another monster in defense mode. That ends my turn." Kevin panted as he clutched his chest, recovering from the previous attack. 

"You're in for quite a surprise." Serena grinned as she glanced at her new card. "I sacrifice Spirit of the Harp and Shining Abyss for the ultimate dragon." Kevin's I snapped wide in shock. "Blue Eyes White Dragon, come forth! Attack and destroy his defense monster!"

"Not this time!" Kevin interjected. "I activate my trap card, Forced Ejection Machine! This trap card will take your attacking monster and blast it back to your hand!" A silver platform materialized beneath the dragon as a done closed around it, a small hole in the top. A whirring sound was emitted and then a burst of smoke puffed from the top, the dragon firing at intense speeds towards Serena, disappearing seconds before crashing into her. 

"Well then," Serena gave a small smile. "You do have a bit of fight and skill in you. However, that does not mean that I will lose to you. That dragon will be mine. I order my Reflect Bounder to attack your defense monster!"

"You've attacked my Big Shield Guardna (100/2600)!" Kevin called. "And with a defense power of 2600, you lose 900 Life Points."

Kevin-2000/Serena-4100

"I may have lost a few Life Points," Serena shrugged. "But at least I have a Blue Eyes White Dragon ready to go when the time is right, and you know it."

"True, but it's my turn, and you first need two sacrifices before you summon that dragon." Kevin pointed out. "And I sacrifice my Guardna for my Des Volstgaf (2200/1700) in attack mode! Then I'll set one more card face down and then order my monster to attack!" The dragon fired a blast of blue flames at the mirror monster, which held out its hands, bracing for the attack. The attack hit it full force in the chest, but then it reflected back at the dragon.

"My monster has a special ability." Serena scoffed. "It takes an attack aimed at it, and even though it will still be destroyed, it'll take your dragon with it, while dealing you 2200 points of damage! You've defeated yourself!"

"Activate face down card!" Kevin shouted.

"Impossible!" Serena responded. "You can't play a magic card mid battle, and you just set that card, so it's not a trap that you could activate. There's nothing you can do."

"You're mostly correct." Kevin smiled. "But you see, you've forgotten one thing: Quick-Play magic cards!" A spinning disk appeared and stopped the flames path. "My Guard of Card is a useful little gimmick that blocks all damage to me. So while you lost your Reflect Bounder and , all I lose is one card that I have to discard for my magic cards effect. Your turn Serena." 

"Very well. I summon Fairy's Gift (1400/1000) in defense mode. That ends my turn." 

"I'll set one card face down, set a monster in defense mode, and then order Des Volstgaf to attack!"

"Activate face down card!" Serena shouted. "Switch!" The Fairy's gift suddenly disappeared and was replaced by Serena's Blue Eyes White Dragon. "My magic card replaces the monster on my field that you're attacking and switches it with a stronger monster from my hand! Now Blue Eyes, counter attack!"

"Activate face down card!" Kevin shouted. "Energy Drain will drop your dragon's attack points to zero! Not only that, but every time a magic card is played, my Des Volstgaf gains an extra 200 attack points until my turn ends (2600/1700). Des Volstgaf, attack!" The Blue Dragon dropped in size until it was a mere fraction of Kevin's growing beast, which ripped Serena's monster apart. "However, the power increase is not Des Volstgaf's only ability! Every time he inflicts battle damage, he deals an extra 500 points of damage directly!"

Kevin-2000/Serena-1000

"You may have the lead," Serena glared. "But I still have one more Blue Eyes waiting, plus a deck of other nearly unbeatable creatures! I can still play Fairy's gift as part of the extra ability of my Switch magic card. After using it to pull the switch, the original bait is then returned to the field immediately. So I'll start this turn with a monster already in defense mode, which I'll sacrifice for my White Dragon Ritual magic card!"

"What's that do?" Kevin asked bewildered.

"And you seemed to think so highly of having a Blue Eyes." Serena scoffed. "It's only one of the most superior methods of summon the Blue Eye White Dragon, for by sacrificing my level four Fairy's Gift, I can summon my Paladin of White Dragon (1900/1200) in attack mode!"

"And this thing helps you get your Blue Eyes how?" Kevin questioned.

"I can sacrifice this monster to special summon my second Blue Eyes from my deck!" she shouted.

"There's no way!" Kevin cried. "Already? I just got rid of the first one! How can I come back against the second with not cards magic cards on the field to protect me and my monster?"

"You're very lucky." Serena growled as her dragon appeared in attack mode. "I can't attack this turn with my Blue Eyes. However, next turn, you're finished." 

"I play a magic card." Kevin called. "Cost of Greed! This card allows me to remove up to four monsters in my Graveyard from play to draw that many cards, so I remove Big Shield Guardna and Battle Ox from play to draw two cards." He slipped the top two cards from his deck. "Next I'll play one of the monster cards I just drew, in defense mode. Then I'll switch Des Volstgaf to defense mode and end my turn." 

"I play Card of Sanctity!" Serena shouted. "We both draw until we have 6 cards. So we each draw four. Then I'll summon Shining Angel (1400/800) in attack mode and then I'll order my Blue Eyes White Dragon to attack your Des Volstgaf!" The monster on Serena's field fired a beam of white light the left Kevin's strongest monster in the Graveyard. "Then I'll have my Shining Angel attack the defense monster you set last turn."

"My Sangan (1000/600) allows my to search my deck for a monster with 1500 or fewer attack points." Kevin pulled out his deck and began to search, quickly adding a card to his hand. 

"I'll end my turn by setting one card face down and ending my turn."

"I'll set one monster in defense mode and end my turn." Kevin said, setting a card on his Duel Disk. 

"First, I'll use this magic card, Rain of Mercy." Serena smile as she activated her card. "It will raise both our Life Points by 1000."

"Why help me if you want my dragon so much?" Kevin asked.

"Activate face down card," Serena laughed. "Bad Reaction to Simochi! This trap card will take any life point increase you might receive, and instead turn it against you, deducting that same amount from you. So while I gain 1000 Life Points, you'll lose 1000. That flips the score in my favor if I'm not mistaken."

Kevin-1000/Serena-2000

"Now I'll have my dragon attack one of your defense monsters!" The card flipped over to reveal small green imp that crouched low in front of Kevin. 

"My Dark Gremlin (1600/1800) allows me to search my Graveyard and reshuffle any one card in there into my deck." Kevin smiled as he slipped a card from his Graveyard and began to shuffle it into his deck. "And now I draw." He pulled another card off his deck. "I'll flip over my face down Newt Warrior (1900/400) into attack mode! And when he's flipped over, he gains an additional 500 attack and defense points (2400/900). Then I equip him with United We Stand, to raise his attack points by 800 (3200/1700)! Now my monster, attack and destroy her Blue Eyes White Dragon!" 

Kevin-1000/Serena-1800

"I'll draw a card," Serena seethed. She looked at her open field, and then her gaze fell upon her Graveyard, which now held both of her Blue Eyes White Dragons. "I'll set a monster in defense mode and end my turn." 

"I'll summon my Sapphire Dragon (1900/1600) in attack mode! Not only is it powerful on its own, but now that I have another monster on the field, my Newt Warrior will gain another 800 attack points (4000/2500)! Now Sapphire Dragon, attack her defense monster!" Kevin shouted. The blue lightning struck Serena's monster, which revealed itself to be a young girl in a blue dress, weeping uncontrollably.

"My Unhappy Maiden instantly ends your Battle Phase!" Serena shouted, stopping Kevin before he could attack with his Newt Warrior. "So it's my turn again. I play the magic card, Magic Absorption!"

"What will that do?" Kevin demanded.

"This magic card will take one equipment magic card, and place it on one of my monsters. So I'll be taking your United We Stand!"

"But you don't have a monster on the field to equip it to!" 

"Oh, don't I." Serena cooed, choosing a monster in her hand. "I summon my Maha Vailo (1550/1400) in attack mode, and I'll add your magic card to my monster (2850/2700)."

"Wait, how'd you get that big of an attack increase?" Kevin cried in horror. "You only have on monster in play, so you should have only received 800 attack attack points, but you just got 1300 points added onto each!"

"That's true, except for my monsters special ability." Serena smiled as she closed her eyes. "Whenever an equipment magic card is played on Maha Vailo, she gains an extra 500 attack points on top of whatever the initial increase is. So now, Maha Vailo, attack with Sacred Lightning!" The blue robed woman raised her hands above her head as lightning was absorbed into her palms, which she then directed at Kevin's Sapphire Dragon. 

Kevin-50/Serena-1800

Kevin drew his card, clenching his eyes tightly as he did so. 'Serena has control of the field, and I'm down to just a few Life Points. I need something that'll win this Duel!' He turned to see which card he had drawn.

"Serena, I summon the Lord of Dragons (1200/1100), in attack mode!" The man dressed in armor made from dragon scales appeared. "And then the magic card I just drew, Flute of Summoning Dragon, to summon my Tyrant Dragon (2900/2500) in attack mode! Then I'll set one card face down and I'll attack your Maha Vailo! Tyrant Dragon, Blazing Hellfire!" The wave of fire engulfed the blue robed magician and destroyed him

Kevin-50/Serena-1750

"I draw!" Serena shouted.

"And I'll end this!" Kevin called. "With my trap card, Last Turn!" his face down card flipped over and all cards but Kevin's Tyrant Dragon exploded. "This trap card forces us to both select one monster to do battle. I've chosen my Tyrant Dragon, now you can choose one from your deck. But since both of your Blue Eyes White Dragons are in the Graveyard, you can't match me. I win."

"Not quite." Serena seethed. "I may not be able to beat that dragon, but I can still keep you from taking one of my Blue Eyes."

"But there's no monster other than the Blue Eyes that can beat my dragon!"

"I don't need a dragon to protect my pride!" Serena shouted as she slapped her last card onto her Duel Disk. "I summon the Bloodstone Dragon (2900/1600)!" 

"No!" Kevin shouted in disbelief as his monster released a stream of fire. "It'll tie with my monster!"

"I know." Serena growled as her dragon charged across the field, claws blazing. "Meaning that this Duel is a draw!"

Kevin fell to the ground in disbelief as the holograms dissipated. 'I let it slip right through my hands!' he screamed in his head. 'There it was, another Blue Eyes White Dragon was within my grasp, and I let it through.' He began to pant, the physical strain of the two Duels starting to take its toll. He swayed forward and caught himself on his palms. He began to feel ill and his eyes glazed over. The stress from the Duels and now the mental and emotional strain began to mix, his adrenaline on override. He collapsed onto his chest and began to heave in massive breathes. He closes his eyes. 'No more.' he muttered. 'Just, no more! That was too close. I almost lost you father!'

***

Serena Kaiba stared at the display in front of her. Kevin was on his stomach and muttering to himself. She herself was gripping her side in pain. The attacks from the holograms had not been excessively strenuous, but she understood his pain. She herself had been pushing herself hard at Battle City, having plowed through six Duelists already in one day and winning six Locator Cards. 

She stared at the silicon disks she considered 'prizes' and then back at Kevin's sick figured. She closed her eyes, sighed, and pulled out a piece of paper and pencil from the depths of her blue coat. She scribbled a note down and slid it under Kevin's Duel Disk were it would be held firmly between the device and the ground. Then she left, sympathizing with Kevin's dilemma. 

"You, Mr. Hunter, had better be at the Finals. I will reclaim my grandfathers last Blue Eyes White Dragon. I swear it!"

_To Be Continued...._

Serena Kaiba is owned by Aldea, and I highly recommend her story as well. As a matter of fact, Aldea's "100 Years After Battle City" is my favorite story, which I hold in highest respect!

The fallowing is a list of cards that _I_ made for this chapter that are _my_ original design:

None! Isn't that a surprise! However, Bloodstone Dragon is Aldea's, so you no touchy!

Any other cards that you didn't recognize are most likely only in Japan right now, or are only in the animated series so far and will appear later on. Until my next chapter, see ya.


	7. A Broken World

Here we are again. This chapter is short, but rather vital. But first off, my Card of the Chapter:

Insect Queen

Earth/Insect/2200/2400/7

Effect: _You must sacrifice one monster in order for this monster to attack. Increase this monsters attack by 200 for every Insect monster on your side of the field. At the end of a turn in which this monster destroys another monster, place one Insect Token (Insect/Earth/100/100/1) in attack mode on the field._

Let's take a look at Weevil Underwood's (Insector Haga for all Japanese readers) favorite monster. He continues to use this card, first against Joey (Jounouchi) in Battle City, then Yugi in the Doom Arc, and then against Seig in the Kaiba Corp. Grand Prix that is airing right now. However, is it really as good as Weevil makes it out to be? Well, it keeps on producing those tokens that can either raise her points a bit, be sacrificed for her to attack, or to just summon a monster. 

However, that's also her primary weakness. You need to continuously sacrifice for to keep on attacking! As if the two monsters you sacrifice for her weren't enough! The only way of keeping up with her is to use DNA Surgery so that she stays powered up so long as your opponent has monsters on the field (Light of Intervention works well here, so that even their defense monsters will be Insects), and then you can keep on using the tokens as sacrifices. However, that still doesn't solve the issue of her needing TWO sacrifices to come out! My advice, if you REALLY want to use her, either discard her and use Monster Reborn, Premature Burial, Call of the Haunted, whatever, OR do what Weevil does and kamikazi a Pinch Hopper to summon her, as when he's destroyed, you can use it to summon any INSECT monster from your hand, regardless of level. Those are the only effective methods that come to mind. Other words, you may as well keep her in your binder, unless you seriously hate the way she looks or are afraid of bugs, then you get rid of her.

Overall Rating: 2/5

Sorry to those that DO like her, but I gave her an honest rating. If you want to debate this, my email is in my bio, as is my AIM Screen Name.

_All information concerning this and most other Japanese cards comes from Edo's Yugioh Page. For more info, ask me for the URL and I'll hook you up. _

Now for some advertising: Perhaps I didn't get the message across strongly enough a few chapters back; GO READ thegymrat's stories! He's got Inu-Yasha, Love Hina, and even a start on a Rurouni Kenshin story, as well as one of the BEST Yu-Gi-Oh stories I've read: What Was, What Is, and What Shall Be! Like angst, horror, a bit of physical fighting, deep plots, cool Duels, bits of murder and other deaths, a deep story plot, and even some romance? GO READ IT!

Now, on with the fic:

Disclaimer: I don't own it. That's final!

Chapter Seven: A Broken World

Kai Kaethan sat in the chair overlooking his meal. To the side of his plate was an old text, probably dating back at least seventy years. He shoveled another mouthful of rice into his mouth as he turned a page.

"Let's see," he muttered. "This journal by Marik Ishtar should be able to give us some information about those Rare Hunters." He skipped a few pages ahead as he devoured the last bit of his homemade Lo Mein.

"'From the journal of Marik Ishtar, March 7, 2013. It has come to my attention that in the chaos that erupted years ago, people have started to abuse the name that I myself had engineered for my own nefarious actions: Rare Hunters. Simple thieves and gangs have decided to use the fear that still exists from my days of darkness to further their own plans. It is a lasting scar to my name, and it is one that I will continue to bare. However, in the meantime, I can take action and try to make amends by pooling any and all my resources into stopping the spread of these actions.'"

"So that's it." Kai growled. "They were simple thieves who try to use the name 'Rare Hunter' to intimidate and overcome their opponents." He slapped the book shut. He stood and walked around the room. The sun was about to set and so the air was beginning to cool. He sighed as he began to reflect on history.

"It was more than eighty years ago," he began talking to himself. "No one knows what happened. Out of no where, real Duel Monsters appeared. Just, in the middle of the day, dragons, knights, and even creatures like Kuribo had appeared. It made absolutely no sense. However, whatever it was, it wasted no time in using these circumstances to their advantage. All at once, the monsters began to attack civilians. Innocent people were being slaughtered in the streets. More people died in the first three weeks than in most wars that had preceded the incident." Kai made his way from the window to the table were he picked up his deck, as well as the pile of cards that was mostly made up of Umbrak's old deck, which he had been dissecting.

"But whoever brought this about hadn't counted on one thing;" he smiled. "Yugi Moto, the King of Games and his Millennium Puzzle! He and the other Item holders banded together against these monstrosities, even the nefarious thief, Bakura. Using the resources of Seto Kaiba and Maximilian Pegasus at their disposal, they split up and traveled to various points on the globe. Then, they each became a conduit of magical energies which they connected, forming one massive wave of magic that swept the world clean of monsters." He pocketed his deck.

"However, that was the beginning of it all. The Earth was in shambles as a result of the attacks! More than a quarter of words population was gone! Once proud nations had collapsed when their governments could no longer protect the people! Therefore, Dueling became a way of life. Yugi used the old influence of the game, and his still existing social power to set up a new order. He himself refused to be any kind of ruler, and the people refused to have any other. Therefore, a near anarchy existed, all people ruled by the ways of the Duelist. It was actually quite fascinating how what was simply a game once now governed the world and all society."

"Then again, not everything was perfect under these circumstances." Kai frowned. "Cards and their value maximized. Some even _died_ for their cards, while others killed for them, much like my parents!" he shouted, unconsciously bringing the past pain back to life. "He came. He wanted all our rare cards without price or Duel! However, he had no intention of Dueling; he slashed them both through the heart!" Tears began to run as Kai's mind entered a state of flashback.

***

_ Kai stood over his parents bleeding bodies, tears rolling down his face. It was perhaps a year before Battle City would be announced. An unstoppable cascade of water rushed down his cheeks. A man stood over him, dressed in a weather beaten cloak "Now then, I'll just be taking those cards." He reached for the decks that had fallen loose when the two parents had hit the earth. His hand was stopped mere inches away as a smaller but equally strong hand wrapped around his wrist. He looked up into the burning eyes of Kai Kaethan."What do you want brat?"_

_ "How dare you!" Kai screamed. "First you demand their cards for no reason. Then you slaughter them both in front of my eyes, and now you plan to just walk off with their cards!"_

_ "Listen kid." the man growled. "I don't have anything against you. If you want to just go and burry them, that's your own business. Just give me a second to get what I came for, and I'll be on my-" The man was cut off by a rounded piece of gold in his face. He sailed back several feet, landing on his back. He raised his head to see Kai in a crouch, eyes closed and the Millennium Rod tightly gripped in his hands, the weapon used to nearly knock the man senseless. "Alright, that's it!" He whipped out a twelve-inch knife and rose to his feet. "You brought this upon yourself kid, remember that!"_

_ Kai narrowed his eyes in furry. "You wont walk away from here." he seethed, a passion for blood in his voice. "I swear it." He eyes blazed gold, and then a bright jade green for just a second before he leapt at the man._

***

"If I hadn't had the Rod with me, I most certainly would have perished! Also, I never would have achieved revenge so soon." He remembered one of the fears that had passed through his mind as he fought that man was that he may not get revenge then, and that the craving for 'justice' would consume him. Fortunately, other members of the village had managed to pull him, kicking and screaming, off of the assailant until a trial was held. The man was executed, and Kai was nearly appointed executioner. However, he had declined, fearing what he may do to the man before he drew his last breath.

He reached behind his back and grabbed the Millennium Rod from the thin leather loop on his waist. He flung it in his rage, the pointed tip burying itself two inches into the wall. He began to hyperventilate. A few tears fell off his cheeks and shattered on impact with the ground. He collapsed to his knees and began to sulk.

"I'll make you proud!" he whispered to his memories. "Mom, dad, I'll win. I'll win and learn everything that I want to know! I _know_ that the information I want is hear somewhere. That and the power I need!"

And with that pledge, Kai Kaethan to the ground in fatigue, weeping all the while.

***

On another island within the borders of Japan, the scene is a quiet cemetery. A boy, no, a man kneels on some freshly overturned ground, a grave that was not even a day old yet. In his hands he held a chisel and hammer, a finely carved stone on the ground in front of him. He began to etch words upon the tombstone that he had spent hours carving. Still, it took several hours more to finish:

Masumoto

_"No kinder, nor stronger man has ever lived. He carried the greatest armor and demanded respect. Pity befall those who took his life!"_

The man stood and admired his work. He then set the tablet into the ground he had dug up before cementing it into the ground. As he worked, he showed no emotion, none at all. He was worse than a shell without a soul. He was a man consumed by a thick darkness.

As he worked he scraped dirt away from the edge, he cut his finger on a fine stone set in the dirt. However, he took no notice at first, his bleak and arctic features remaining fixated on the task of setting the stone in place. It was not until the rock did something that he had not expected: it began to glow! He slightly averted his eyes to see what was happening. 

A bright jade light was burning from the rock that had drawn blood from his wrist! He picked it up....And was amazed by the intense surge of power that washed over him. However, despite it all, he remained cold. He pocketed the stone and stood. 

He reached into his pocket an pulled out a Duel Monsters Deck. He searched through until he found the one he was searching for. He then pulled a thick sheet of glass, hardly the size of the card he had chosen. 

He set the card into a small section of the grave marker that he had managed to hallow out slightly. He then placed the glass over it and then, using a bit of mortar, he sealed it in.

He stood, seeming to admire his work, except he remained cold and empty. His eyes remained fixated on both the name of the person buried their, as well as the name of the card he had chosen to symbolize the man:

Aura Armor.

Aibetsuriku turned silently on his heel and left the cemetery, one thought on his mind: Revenge! However, he did not smile, despite his anticipation.

_To Be Continued...._

That guy at the end, Aibetsuriku, is NOT mine. He belongs to my friend, thegymrat! Go read his stuff I say! 

The fallowing is a list of cards that _I_ made for this chapter that are _my_ original design:

None! Who'da thought?

There you all go. You all got some history, as well as a new character., However, don't expect Aibetsuriku for a good while now. See ya.


	8. A Night to Remember

Here we are again. Sorry for the wait, but first I had to make a TON of cards for this chapter, then all that data took FOREVER to get to my home computer from school, then the marking period at school ended, and so forth. However, Spring Break is the week (Although I'm working 32 hours Monday-Thursday). On the other hand, we are FINALLY working on the transfer of data from the old computer to the new, so I'll soon have my own computer in my room for my own evil purposes. But first, before my evil begins, my Card of the Chapter:

Blade Knight

(Light/Warrior/4/1600/1100)

Effect: _If the number of cards in your hand is one or less, raise this monsters attack points by 400. Also, if this is the only monster you control on the field, negate the flip effects of monsters it destroys in battle._

This is one of my favorite monsters, although it's a bit lack luster. It first appeared in the Battle Royal at the Alcatraz Duel Tower during the Battle City Finals, used by Kaiba.

This monster does have its uses though. Having the potential to be a level four monster with 2000+ attack points is always good, and being as how he's a warrior, he can hit the field fast (If you're using the right kind of deck). 

Sadly, the secondary effect isn't as great. Sure he can negate flip effects, but only if he's the only monster you control when he's on the field. That means that you're not hit your opponents Life Points, and they may get a monster out with enough defense points to hold him off. Sadly, if you're worried about flip-effects, go with Sasuke Samurai.

Overall Rating: 3/5

He's got his uses, and in the right deck, can be very deadly. Also, if you run a deck that constantly has you running out of cards (XYZ Dragon Cannon anyone?), the you've got this guy to then go in and stomp on the enemies Life Points, 2000 or more at a time. If you want to debate this, my email is in my bio, as is my AIM Screen Name.

_All information concerning this and most other Japanese cards comes from Edo's Yugioh Page. For more info, ask me for the URL and I'll hook you up. _

Now for some advertising: Today, I'll give you my top five stories:

1) _100 Years After Battle City _(Aldea): The BEST Yu-Gi-Oh story I've found! The way the characters are set up, as well as the Duels, makes it one heck of a read.

2) _What Was, What Is, and What Shall Be _(thegymrat): Another great work! I tell you, no one else has got such an incredible story, save Aldea, in my opinion (And it's INSANLY close between those two).

3) _Master of the Cards_ (Chuck ZFB): The first story I began to rad regularly here on ff.net, and the secong longest Yu-Gi-Oh story I've found. With great Duels and fun characters, this is a fun and uplifting read to get to when you feel weighed down or just want something not so angsty as so many people write.

4) _Tokyo Tournament_ (G.O.T. Nick): Here is a good balance between serious and fun. Sometimes light, and at others deep, Nick gives you some good stuff to chew on.

5) _Interference: The Millennium Eye_ (Wise Man Domingo): Perhaps the best story at discovering a character, this story shows incredible effort and skill, and I bow in reverence to it, as it (As do the others above mentioned), surpasses me in every way.

If you're story is not mentioned here, understand it is not an insult. These are just the STORIES I find to be the best. The Helldragon, for instance, makes my Top Five authors list, because overall, he's one of the best, but none of his individual stories deliver what the above do. 

Now, on with the fic:

Disclaimer: I don't own it. That's final!

Chapter 8: A Night To Remember

Kevin Hunter stared into the sky. The setting sun told him that he should try to get some rest, and on that thought he turned towards the apartment where he was lodging during the tournament. It was abandoned, yet was still in one piece. It couldn't have been idle for more than a few months. However, it was well worth it to Kevin, who hadn't had much money to start with.

'Ever since dad died, I've been scraping just to survive.' he lamented. 'But I'll find that psycho who killed him! I swear it!' 

A bright flash of light averted his gaze to the right. Rising above some buildings was a massive pillar of rose petals, which rapidly dissipated into shards of holographic light.

"A Duel?" he questioned the silent air as he sprinted over towards the area where he had seen the lights. What he found was a figure sprinting away, hunched over something, the edge of a Duel Disk reaching out passed his side. 

However, it was the other figure that caught Kevin's attention. It was a young lady about sixteen, her light brown hair with various locks branching slightly in various directions. Her eyes we a kind, gentle blue, with a tranquility like that of the sea. Her white shirt, azure vest, and beige pants simply stood as blurs of light in Kevin's transfixed gaze.

"Um......" the young woman squealed, blushing and turning away. "Can I help you?" her small voice barley managed to get out. "And, could you please stop staring?" Kevin immediately turned away and began to reprimand himself.

"I'm sorry." he muttered, blushing, but less so than the girl. "I was just, that is, I saw the lights from that Duel, and it intrigued me. And, well, high?" he more guessed than greeted, the crimson glow in his cheeks raising. 

"Um, yeah." she giggled, turning her face to meet his. "Um, my name is Sakura Haeru."

"A beautiful name." Kevin smiled. "'Cherry Blossom Shine', if I'm not mistaken is it's meaning." Sakura blushed deeper. "I mean, my name is Kevin Hunter."

"American, then." she asked.

"Uh, yeah. I was born there, but moved here when I was a kid, and then my father died, so I've been stuck here in Japan ever since."

"I'm sorry," she muttered. "About your father, I mean."

"Oh, no, really; it's alright." Kevin reassured her. "I was just trying to, you know, fully explain myself."

"I understand." she giggled again. "So, now that you've solved your mystery of the bright-lights-coming-from-a-Duel, what will you do next?"

"Um, I was headed back to the place I was staying, but I think I have enough time for one or two more things." Kevin grinned, continuing to stare into space, having been unable make eye contact since he had caught himself staring.

"And what might those be?" she asked.

"Well, first off, I was thinking of dinner, if you don't mind company." he offered.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Sakura blushed deeply.

"If you wanna call it that." Kevin responded, seeming to regain some of his confidence.

"And the second item of business?" she continued to prod, although the crimson in her cheeks did not waver.

"I think I have enough in me for one last Duel." he smiled. The lights in Sakura's eyes suddenly burst into flames.

"Alright." she smiled, her Duel Disk folding out. "But let's Duel first. After all, I need to know if my escort can protect me, or I him." she giggled.

"Agreed." Kevin sighed, slipping his deck free and inserting it into his devise.

"Let's Duel!"

Kevin-4000/Sakura-4000

"Ladies first." Kevin said with a small bow to the beauty, who giggled again.

"Alrighty, draw." she said. "I'll set a card face down and then I'll summon Vakyrie Randgrior (500/2500) in defense mode." A beautiful woman with flowing black hair and covered in armor, riding a horse (Also covered in the silver armor) appeared, a transparent dome shimmering around her. "Your turn." she smiled. 

"Cool." Kevin grinned, surveying his hand. He drew a card. 'Awesome!' he shouted. 'Chaos Emperor Dragon!' he glanced back at his hand. 'And I've got the right kinds of monsters in my hand. Now all I need it get them in the Graveyard.'

"I'll set my own card face down and summon Dark Gremlin, in attack mode! However, as my monster's too weak to destroy your monster, by a lot, it's back to you." 

"How sweet." she purred. "But first, I'll activate my face down card, Solemn Wishes. Now I gain 500 Life points every time I draw a card." She slipped a new card into her hand. "I'll set a monster in defense mode and end my turn." 

Kevin-4000/Sakura-4500

'Is every woman I face here in Battle City going to use that card?' Kevin nearly shouted out loud, indicating the Solemn Wishes trap. "Now I'll summon Plasma, the Starlight Ryu (1800/1100) in attack mode!" A pale skinned dragon, standing on two legs with large wings beating ferociously as its tail swished. "Plasma, attack her defense monster!" The dragon opened its mouth and released a golden beam that struck the face down monster, which appeared as another maiden in armor on horseback, only with beautiful violet hair. She was instantly eliminated.

"You've hit my Valkyrie Rota (1500/500), and when she's flipped over, I can reduce one of your monsters attack points by half. So now I'll cut your Starlight Dragon's attack points to 900."

"What?" Kevin gasped. "Fine. I'll end my turn there." 

"Goody!" she cried, drawing a card, raising her hand to four and gaining Life Points. "I play Graceful Charity, so now I draw three more cards!"

"But that means that you'll gain another fifteen hundred Life Points!" Kevin gasped.

"I know." Sakura chirped, pulling the new cards free. 

Kevin-4000/Sakura-6500

"Now I discard these two cards to the Graveyard." She held the two cards up to the small opening, which then pulled them in neatly setting them out of sight. "I'll end my turn by setting this card face down. I guess you can go." 

Kevin grimace as he drew his fifth card. 'Why didn't she attack. She didn't even summon a monster. Is it because she's out of monster's who's level is low enough, or is it something else. Either way, I need to take advantage of her open field. Her two down cards worry me, but even if my assault fails, I can still force her to use up a trap.'

"Alligator Sword (1500/1200) in attack mode! Attack!" he shouted as the green skinned lizard warrior leapt at Sakura's open field.

"I activate a trap card." Sakura meekly squeaked, pressing a button on her Duel Disk. "Aurora Veil stops your attack and allows me to search my deck for a monster with the word 'Valkyrie' in their name." she giggled as she puled her deck free, searched her cards, and added one to her hand withing a few simple seconds. "Anything else?"

"No." Kevin growled. He was getting worked, even though he had more monsters on the field, and his Life Points hadn't been touched. However, every last one of his attacks had been used against him in some way. 

"Alright, my turn then." she smiled, drawing a card and raising her Life Points yet again.

Kevin-4000/Sakura-7000

"I'll set a card face down and end my turn."

Kevin drew another card and was greeted by one of his better monsters. "I'll sacrifice my Plasma the Starlight Ryu and Alligator Sword to summon Hyozanryu (2100/2800) in defense mode! Now I have an even stronger defense than you!" he smiled. "I'll also switch Dark Gremlin to defense mode and end my turn with one last face down card." 

Sakura drew her fifth card, added it to her hand, and ended her turn by setting another card face down.

Kevin-4000/Sakura-7500

"Time for me to turn this Duel around!" Kevin smiled. "First I'll sacrifice my Dark Gremlin for my Different Dimension Dragon (1400/1500) in attack mode!" The sleek silver dragon appeared, folding his four wings around himself protectively. "Then I'll remove my Dark Gremlin and Plasma the Starlight Dragon in the Graveyard from play to summon my Chaos Emperor Dragon-Messenger of the Apocalypse (3000/2500)!" One of Kevin's two most powerful monsters appeared, roaring with a holler that was feared by all on the field. "Now I'll use my Dragon's effect to destroy all cards on both players fields and in our hands, dealing you 300 points of damage for each card. But first, I need to pay 1000 of my Life Points." he stared at his Life Point meter as it ticked down.

Kevin-3000/Sakura-7500

The dragon spewed a cloud of fire into the air which descended upon the field, burning all the cards active. Kevin began to place his two cards into the Graveyard when he noticed Sakura standing quite still.

"What are you doing?" Kevin demanded of her. She reached for her Duel Disk and pressed a button.

"I'm activate my trap card, Twilight of the Gods." Suddenly, the light over Kevin and Sakura's face down cards brightened, and the flames backed away from them. "This trap activates when a monster effect that would normally destroy all my monsters, magic/traps, or cards in my hand, it cancels it out. Therefore, all our cards stay in effect."

"You've got to be kidding me!" he shouted, returning his hand to its original position against his fingers. "Oh well, I can still get at your Life Points. Chaos Emperor Dragon, attack her Valkyrie Randgrior!" The dragon reared back his head and let loose his black flames, which shattered the armored maiden's magical field. "Now I'll have Different Dimension Dragon, attack your Life Points!" The silver beast released its rainbow colored blast, which struck the young beauty, but did minimal damage to her ever increasing Life Points. "That ends my turn." 

Kevin-3000/Sakura-6100

"I'll draw and gain 500 Life Points," Sakura began her turn, making her hand increase to five cards. 

Kevin-3000/Sakura-6600

"And now, it's time to end it all." she laughed triumphantly, yet weakly. "I play the magic card, Walkuren Ritt!" (A/N: Que German Symphony, 'Flight of the Valkyries') The card revealed itself as multiple ancient temples amongst the clouds. A light appeared above Kevin's head and holographic rose petals began to materialize, spinning rapidly around both Duelists. "This card allows me to special summon all monsters in my hand with the word 'Valkyrie' in their name! So now I summon three Valkyrie Sovite's (1600/1600 x3) and Valkyrie Altest (1600/1600)!"

Out of the sphere of light emerged four maidens on horseback, each dressed in silver armor. The first three had pick hair that reached their mid-back, while the thirds was teal and of the same length.

"Now I'll activate Valkyrie Sovite's special ability." Sakura giggled happily. "When she's first summoned, she destroys one enemy monster! And since I have three, all of your monsters are destroyed!" The three pink haired ones pointed their swords at Kevin's three dragon's, and each blade emitted a burst of lightning that struck a separate dragon and destroyed it. "Now, Altest attacks!" The green haired warrior dug her heals into her horses sides, forcing it forward, her sword raised. "Perhaps I should explain." Sakura grinned as the Valkyrie's size increased, resulting in Kevin's eyes bulging. "When Altest attacks, she removes one monster in your Graveyard from play, and then her attack points become whatever the removed monsters is; three thousand for this attack, thanks to your Chaos Emperor Dragon."

"No!" Kevin shouted. "I have only 3000 Life Points to begin with!"

"I know." she smiled. "Altest, attack!" The Valkyrie leapt into the air and brought her sword crashing down on Kevin.

"Activate trap cards!" he shouted. "First I'll use my Enchanted Javelin to raise my Life Points by the same amount as your attack!"

Kevin-6000/Sakura-6600

"And because you're attack power is 3000, I'll also use my Nutrient Z trap card to increase my Life Points by 4000 before the damage is dealt!"

Kevin-1000/Sakura-6600

Sakura stared blankly as Kevin took the attack head on, barely flinching as the attack went through.

Kevin-7000/Sakura-6600

"Now I'll have all three of my Valkyrie Sovite's attack directly!" she screamed. Each of the three slayers rode past Kevin, carrying their weapons through, catching him on the sides as they passed. Kevin was thrown back, crashing to the cement ground. Slowly he lifted himself off the ground and brushed bits of dirt off his shirt, grinning slightly at Sakura's shocked expression. He glanced at his Life Points, checking the overall damage.

Kevin-2200/Sakura-6600 

"Anything else?" he asked calmly.

"Well, actually yes. I'll activate my face down card, Reginleif!" she sighed as her last down card activated. "Now I can draw one card for each Valkyrie on my field, so that's four." she sighed as she was allowed to draw her new cards. "And now I'll summon a monster in defense mode, and end my turn." As she surrendered control over to Kevin, her four Valkyrie dissapeared. Kevin opened his mouth to question, but Sakura beat him to it. "After using Walkuren Ritt, all Valkyries summoned through its effect are shuffled into my deck at the end of my turn." (3)

Sighing in relief that he wouldn't be needing to worry about the power of those Sovite's or Altest for a while, Kevin drew a new card. "I summon Spear Dragon (1900/0) in attack mode!" The winged blue creature appeared, flapping wildly to stay in the air. "Now Spear Dragon, attack her face down monster!" The dragons mouth opened, making room for the cyclone of wind that built up withing its jaws. However, the monster struck by the blast (Another Valkyrie, this one with forest green hair) did not explode like most victims would, but parried the attack to the left with her sword. "I don't understand." Kevin gasped.

"My Valkyrie Mist (1700/1200) is immune to the attacks of any monster that has 1900 or more attack points." Sakura explained.

"Oh well." Kevin smiled. "You still lose 700 Life Points, thanks to Spear Dragon's special ability."

"Wrong again." Sakura defended. "Valkyrie Mist also lowers all battle damage she takes to zero."

"Fine." Kevin mumbled. "Spear Dragon switches to defense mode unfortunately, but its your turn." 

"I'll gain another 500 Life Points, set a card face down, and end my turn." Sakura squeaked. 

Kevin-2200/Sakura-7100

"I'll play Pot of Greed!" Kevin laughed as he drew another two cards. "And then I'll play Heavy Storm, meaning you're done raising your Life Points!" he called as the tempest ripped both Sakura's Solemn Wishes and her face down card off the field.

"I'll activate a trap card!" Sakura shouted as her face down card activated. "Apple fo Freyja allows me to draw one card when its destroyed or removed from the field." She pulled a new card from her Duel Disk and added it to her hand.

"Enjoy it while you can." Kevin smiled. "I summon Surge the Torrential Ryu (1500/1500) in attack mode!" A sapphire blue serpent with amber eyes and taloned hands appeared on Kevin's field, poised for battle. "And next I'll switch Spear Dragon to attack mode. Now Surge, attack her Valkyrie Mist!" The blue beast released a solid swirl of water that plowed through the green haired Valkyrie. "And now, Spear Dragon, attack her Life Points directly!"

Kevin-2200/Sakura-5200

"Your turn." he grinned. He now had two solid monsters on the field, and was finally getting through Sakura's Life Points, meaning he'd soon have another Locator Card, rare card, and his first date in a while.

"I'll summon my Valkyrie Dritt (1000/1600) in attack mode!" The new Valkyrie had bright red hair that barely passed her ears. "For every monster removed from play, she receives 100 extra attack points." she smiled. "And so, to raise her points, I'll play Soul Release to remove your Different Dimension Dragon, Hyozanryu, Plasma the Starlight Ryu from play, meaning she gains another 400 attack points. Valkyrie Dritt (1500/1600) attack and destroy his Spear Dragon!" The blue beast screeched loudly into the air before disintegrating as the Valkyrie slashed it in two. "I'll also set this card face down and end my turn." 

"Fine with me." Kevin grinned. Although Sakura's monster was equally strong as his own, he could easily turn that around. "I sacrifice my Torrential Ryu to summon my Des Volstgaf (2200/1700) in attack mode. Des Volstgas, attack her Valkyrie Dritt now!" he shouted as his monster released its blue flame attack.

"Activate trap card, Aurora Veil!" Sakura shouted. The screen of dancing lights once again appeared to protect his opponent. "And so I'll once again add a Valkyrie to my hand from my deck."

"I'm not done yet." Kevin shouted as he grabbed his last card from his hand. "I'll set this card face down and end my turn." 

"I play the magic card, Treasure of Nebel." she called. "This card allows me to search my deck for a magic card called 'Nebel Ring,' which I'll then play on your Des Volstgaf!" Around the red and blue scaled dragon appeared a gleaming silver ring which glowed a pale white. "Now I can draw five cards from my deck." she giggled excitedly as her hand increased from three to eight. "Now I can set one card face down and then I'll sacrifice my Valkyrie Dritt to summon my Valkyrie Sigrdrifa (2300/2300) in attack mode." Her new Valkyrie was adorned in emerald armor with white hair. "And Sigrdrifa gains half the base attack points of the monster that was sacrificed to summon her. Since Dritt's base attack is one thousand, Sigrdrifa will gain 500 attack points (2800/2300). Now my monster, attack his Des Volstgaf!" 

"Sorry Sakura." Kevin grinned, swinging his arm wide as his face down card flipped over. "My Shrink magic card will cut your monsters attack power in half for this turn (1400/2300)!" The Valkyrie suddenly began to slow down and shrink as her power began to fade. "Des Volstgaf, counter attack!" he shouted. However, his dragon did not budge. It simply stood still, allowing Sakura's monster to skid to a stop and leap back to safety. "What happened?" 

"My Nebel Ring happened." Sakura smiled weakly. "As long as it's in effect, your monster can't respond to your commands, such as counter attacks, changing modes, etc." she began to once again blush. "So I end my turn, and now my Valkyrie Sigrdrifa returns to her beginning strength of 2800."

"My move." Kevin shouted as he grabbed a card. He then reached for another card, but was interrupted by Sakura.

"Wait just a second!" she shouted softly. "My Nebel Ring has another ability; during each of your draw phases, you'll draw two cards. If they're both magic or trap cards, you're just fine. If you get one or two monsters, you must one of them."

Kevin cringed as he stared at the card he had drawn. 'My Blue Eyes. If I don't get another monster, I'll have to discard it.' He grabbed a second card from his deck. 'No!" he screamed. 'My Magic Drain!' He seethed heavily as he slipped his most prized card into his Graveyard, Sakura giggling slightly when she saw what card it was after recovering from the initial shock of seeing a Blue Eyes White Dragon.

"I set one card face down and end my turn. Make your move!"

Sakura drew her seventh card. "I play Maiden of Swan!" Her newest magic card revealed itself, a holographic swan flapping its wings and leaving the two dimensional image. "This magic card allows my to instantly special summon any one Valkyrie onto my side of the field!"

"I activate my face down card!" Kevin shouted. "Magic Drain! If you can't discard one magic card from your hand to the Graveyard right now, your magic card is negated."

"But I can't afford to discard a magic card from my hand." she whined.

"Well, sorry." Kevin sheepishly sighed. He glanced again at her beautiful face and his muscles relaxed slightly at the sight of her. He quickly shook his head, though, and returned to the Duel.

"I can still summon my Valkyrie Hildr (1900/1700) in attack mode and end my turn with another face down card." 

Kevin snatched two cards off the top of his deck, stared a second at them, and then returned his attention to the gorgeous young woman. "Sakura, I'm sorry to say that I'm about to turn this Duel around. You see, of the two cards I drew, neither was a monster, meaning that I finally got some options, and don't have to discard anything. So first I'll play this," he shouted as black clouds formed above as lightning began to sound. "Raigeki will destroy both of your monsters instantly! Then I can set this card face down and end my turn." 

"I'm going to play another Maiden of Swan!" Sakura shouted with glee as she activated the magic card. "And I'll use it to summon Valkyrie Altest (1600/1600) in attack mode!" The teal haired Valkyrie appeared once again. "And now I'll play these two magic cards, Blessings of Aurora Borealis and Time of Peace!" Two permanent magic cards appeared on Sakura's field. "First my Blessings of Aurora Borealis lowers the level of all Valkyries in my hand by one as long as it's on the field. Second is my Time of Peace, which activates whenever a monster is removed from play, increasing my Life Points by 500. So now I can summon a second Valkyrie Altest in attack mode (1600/1600). Then I'll remove your Spear Dragon (1900) and Blue Eyes White Dragon (3000) from the game to increase their strength! Not only that, but I gain 1000 Life Points for having removed two monsters from the game!" 

Kevin-2200/Sakura-6200

Both Valkyrie kicked their horses, beginning their charge. The first one, which had three thousand attack points thanks to Kevin's Blue Eyes, slashed down on Kevin's Des Volstgaf (2200), which exploded. The second then struck his Life Points directly.

"I win!" she cried happily.

"Wrong." Kevin corrected her. He held up his Duel Disk towards her so that she could see the Life Point count.

Kevin-100/Sakura-6200

"How is that possible. My first Altest should have taken 800 of your Life Points off, which would leave just 1400 more for the second, which had 1900 attack points, to eliminate." 

"You're right, except for one very important detail." he smiled. "You see, whenever a magic card is activated, my Des Volstgaf gains 200 attack points for that turn. Since you activated three magic cards this turn, its strength increased to 2800, so I only lost 200 Life Points when it was destroyed, so I had 2000 left when you attacked the second time. Now it's my move!" he pulled one card free. "And I'll activate Taxation of Soul!"

"What will that do? Since you didn't get a monster card, I can now attack on my next turn directly!" Sakura laughed.

"It allows me to draw one card for each monster that has been removed from my Graveyard from play! And since you've done such a wonderful job of removing my cards from play, I now get to draw six cards!" Kevin greedily replenished his hand. "I'll summon Vorse Raider (1900/1200) in attack mode! Now Vorse Raider, attack her Valkyrie Altest!" Kevin's monster raised his glaive into the air, intent on slashing the Valkyrie and her horse in two.

"Activate trap card, Flame of Rogue!" Sakura cried defiantly. A pillar of blue flames erupted between the two monsters. The brown skinned beast swung down, but his weapon was unable to penetrate the twister. "This trap card stops all attacks made by a monster who's attack points are below 2000, so your Vorse Raider can't attack me."

"Fine." Kevin scowled. "I can still set these three cards face down and end my turn."

"Then I'll activate the magic card, Griffins Feather Sweep!" she called as a large bent feather appeared over her spiraling flame as well as her face down card. "This card will destroy both of my trap cards, but increase my Life Points by 500 for each one I destroy." The feather swept a gust of air at her cards, releasing a single blast of wind which began to tug at her cards. 

Kevin-100/Sakura-7200 

"Then I'll chain my magic card with my face down Apple of Freyja, which I hope you recall, allowing me to draw one more card." she slipped it free, giving her a hand of one. "And now it's time for you to witness the power of my favorite monster!" she yelled, ejecting her deck from her Duel Disk. "When Flame of Rogue is destroyed, I'm allowed to search my deck and summon this," she held out her card for him to see before smacking it onto the field. "I summon Valkyrie Brunhilde (1800/2000) in attack mode!" Sakura's new Valkyrie had a fine golden crown and majestic sapphire hair. "Then I play the magic card, Excalibur, which will double my monsters attack strength so long as I continue to skip my draw phase each turn!" The Valkyries very plain sword was replaced by a thin bladed and well decorated one, causing the Valkyrie to smile at the new strength she now had (3600/2000). "Valkyrie Brunhilde, attack his Vorse Raider and finish him!" she hastily shouted. The Shield Maiden raised the sword into air, the tip to Vorse Raider. A burst of lightning reached out towards Kevin's monster.

"Reveal trap card, Mirror Force!" Kevin shouted as the multi-colored wall appeared, absorbing and then reflecting the attack, which crashed into Sakura's monsters, obliterating each one of them in a flash of light. However, as the light faded, Kevin could see that Sakura's strongest monster was still on the field. "What?"

"My Valkyrie Brunhilde has a few powerful effects." Sakura explained. "When it is destroyed, I can sacrificed 1000 of her defense points (1800/1000) to revive her!"

"My move!" Kevin cried, raising the number of cards in his hand to five. "Sakura, it's over, and I'm sorry." he boldly stated, closing his eyes as he did. 'Hope this doesn't screw up our date.' he mentally noted. 

"I summon my Lord of Dragons (1200/1100) in attack mode, and I'll play my Flute of Summoning Dragon magic card to summon another two dragon monsters!" he cried in triumph as the blue caped monster with the dragon bone armor appeared, grabbing a golden horn which he blew into, which was fallowed by the appearance of Kevin's Luster Dragon (2400/1400) and Sapphire Dragon (1900/1600). 

"How unlucky for you." Sakura chided, looking from Kevin's four monsters to her Valkyrie Brunhilde, which was beginning to glow. "You see, another of Valkyrie Brunhilde's special abilities is that she gains 300 attack points for every dragon monster on your Graveyard, so now she has an attack of 2500, just enough to make her immune to any attack from you."

"I beg to differ." Kevin grinned. "Activate face down magic card, Revival of the Diamond Blade, sacrificing my Sapphire Dragon to do so!" His blue scaled dragon disappeared, only to be replaced by a green and much larger creature. "This magic card forces me to sacrifice a specially summoned dragon monster to summon the Diamond Head Dragon (2900/2600), whose stats are that of the monster sacrificed to summon it, plus 1000!"

"No!" Sakura cried in terror.

"Finally, I'll activate my Megamorph magic card to double my Luster Dragon's attack points (4800/1400)! Now Diamond Head Dragon, attack Valkyrie Brunhilde!" he commanded. 

The dragon reared back its head, preparing to attack. A burst of fire formed in its mouth. Kevin looked into Sakura's eyes, noticing the immense fear and pain that was developing within her. Tears began to form in her eyes as she cringed back, waiting for the shock of the blast.

"Stop!"

The dragon steeped down, the fire instantly extinguishing in its maw. Sakura looked up as the holograms began to fade and Kevin's Duel Disk returned to its standby position. She looked around confused. "Why did you stop?" she questioned innocently.

"I couldn't do it." he smiled. Alas, it was that very innocence with which she stared into his eyes, and perhaps also his heart, that had stopped him. "I couldn't bring myself to be that cold and merciless as to butcher your favorite monster like that, and I didn't need to. I had won, so it didn't make any difference."

Sakura blinked back a tear of gratitude as she lifted herself up from her slump. A hand reached down and gently wrapped its fingers around hers. Warm fingers, full of kindness and care. "Thankyou." she whipered as he lifted her up. "I guess you'll want one of my Locator Cards and Valkyrie Brunhilde?"

"Of course not." Kevin said, pushing the Duel Monsters card back. "I can't use it, and being as how I _didn't_actually finish you off, I can't take it. You keep it, and continue to fight your way through Battle City. You still have a few of these?" he asked, holding up the one Locator Card she had thrust into his palm. She nodded, holding up two more. "Alright then. Tomorrow, I'll see you at the Finals." He turned to leave.

"Wait!" Sakura called after him. "I thought we had a date?" Kaevin smiled and extended his hand in greeting. She took it, and then lifted herself up, and planted a small kiss on his cheek.

'Huzzah!' Kevin shouted in his head. "Huzzah!' 

_To Be Continued...._

Sakura is actually mine, but based off of my friend, Yugi Muto, who's got some decent stories, and would have constant updates if her Internet would work for more than three days before breaking down for months.

The fallowing is a list of cards that _I_ made for this chapter that are _my_ original design:

Sakura- Valkyrie Sigrdrifa, Valkyrie Mist, ValkrieRota, Valkyrie Randgrior, Aurora Veil, Reginleif, and Twilight of the Gods. Just about every other card Sakura used (Altest, Sovite, Brunhilde, Flame of Rogue, Apple of Freyja, Maiden of Swan, Excalibur, and Walkuren Ritt) are the creation of Kazuki Takehashi, and appeared in the Doom/KC Grand Prix Arcs that just ended in Japan.

Kevin- Plasma the Starlight Ryu, Surge the Torrential Ryu, and Taxation of Soul.  
There you all go. And about the whole remark about 'Flight of the Valkyries', you need to have seen the Japanese episodes of the KC Grand Prix, in which, the villian, Siefried von Schoider uses Walkuren Ritt, and it is each time accompanied by that song. I find this to be quite comical, as everything up until then is hardcore Japanese and some cool rock, and out of nowhere, they begin to play a centuries old German Symphony. Sorry again for the wait. See ya.


	9. Foresight

Here it is my friends. Sorry this took so long, but when you get back from Spring Break and find that you are facing a 15 page, 450 point Research Paper that determines your ENTIRE grade for the quarter, you focus pretty darn hard on that project. Anyway, I also had a bit of writers block with this, but all that aside, I'm back in full swing.

I warn you all, there is slight religious symbolism in this chapter, but nothing specific or offensive, I hope.

Also, this chapter is bit weak at times, but I feel it's overall pretty good. However, if you see any numbers or words in parentheses, ignore them, they shouldn't be there! But do let me know so I can fix that.

Now, time for the chapterly ad:

Nobel Paladin and his 'Force of Darkness, Hear My Cry' is one of my newest addictions. It's the most serious and best done crossover I've ever read (And I've read my fair share of them). It's fun. Give him a chance my friends. I mean, who can resist seeing the Inu-Yasha and Yu Yu Hakusho characters Dueling..........

Now, Card of the Chapter:

Silent Doom

Normal Magic: _Revive one monster in your Graveyard in defense mode. That monster cannot attack as long as it is on the field._

Here we have a simple card, Silent Doom. This card first appeared in the Anime during the Duel between Kaiba and Isis in the Battle City Quarter Finals.

This card revives a monster in defense mode, but the monster can't attack.

Pros: You get a monster back at no cost or advantage to your opponent.

Cons: That monster can't attack. You can switch it to attack mode, just can't attack. 

Bottom line, this card is mediocre at best, but is fun for fanfics. You can get a card for sacrifice, or you can use effects that aren't flip effects (Lord of Dragons, Mysterious Puppeteer, etc) without putting your Life Points in danger, but that's about it. My advice, stick to Premature Burial, Call of the Haunted, and Monster Reborn first, along with Rope of Life and Shallow Grave after that. However, if you must, use this card.

Rating: 2/5

Chapter Nine: Foresight

"No!" Kai Kaethan shouted, bolting up in his bed, sheets and blankets flaying wildly into the air. He bagan to pant heavily and clutch his chest. His eyes wandered over to the small glowing clock by his side. "10:00! I've only been out for an hour?" he rose to his feet, to shaken to sleep, and donned some shoes and his Duel Disk. "I need some air." he said aloud, as if to convince himself of the fact.

He stepped into the cool night silently. "That dream." he muttered as he walked. "It was so much like the others, but like the others, was still different."

He began to turn his thoughts to the dream, hoping to perhaps decipher it as he walked. There was a series of stone tablets from about three thousand years ago. They began to glow a brilliant gold before a green light emerged behind them, shattering them with its force. Then a voice, cold and high pitched, yet so familiar to Kai, laughed and rang about the recesses of his mind. Blood began to run along the floor, as screams of pain and terror began to be heard, all along being overshadowed by that frozen laugh.

Kai cringed and shivered at the very thought.

However, there was one important factor which held all of these dreams together. It was what the voice hissed each night, just before he awoke.

'At Battle City, your destiny awaits you. Win and I shall reveal all...'

No one seemed to be Dueling anymore. As a matter of fact, only young couples seemed to be walking the paths of Domino now. Kai simply shrugged it all off. He was to cold and seclusive to allow anyone to get close to him like that. Kevin Hunter was actually the first person he had been willing to refer to as 'friend' since the death of his parents. It was strange how loss does that to a person, making them a hard and soulless shell that keeps all intruders out, always bearing a harsh, pain stricken mask.

"Kai Kaethan." a calm voice whispered. He whipped around, locating the source of the voice quickly, as it was the only figure that seemed to pay him any mind.

"I am Iras Ishtarl." she introduced in a nearly cold voice. Her face was empty of emotion, her skin was a dark tan, and her eyes in intense blue, like that of the most beautiful sea. She was robed in beige garments which barely covered her shoulders and upper arms. Fine gold jewelry decorated her wrists and neck. "I am the heir to the Tomb Keepers."

"Tomb Keepers?" Kai gasped. "But that would mean...

"Yes, I am the great granddaughter of Isis Ishtarl and Dalin Sumatin."

"What do you want?" he snapped. He had heard of both those historic figures. Isis Ishtarl was the eldest blood-heir to the Tomb Keepers family one hundred years ago, while Dalin Sumatin had been one of the most powerful Angel Duelists in history, having even bested Yugi Moto in a minor tournament shortly after the original Battle City. Iras, however, did not waver, completely unaffected by his curtness.

"I know that you have something that belongs to my family." she began. Kai took an involuntary step back in shock. "I want it back." she raised her arms and a Duel Disk snapped to the ready position.

Kai took his own stance. He wasn't expecting this, but he didn't have much choice. He was alone with this woman in the middle of the night. There was no way to escape. "So if you win, you'll be taking the Millennium Rod." he deducted. "But what do I get if I win?"

"Of course, you'll get to keep the Rod, as well as my Locator Card and rarest card, but also answers." Kai's eyes snapped open at this statement, puzzled, yet understanding exactly what it was she meant. "I posses the Millennium Tauk," she began to explain. "And with it, I can show you what has happened in centuries past, and years to come, helping you to understand your destiny." she finished, shoving her shuffled deck into her Duel Disk. Kai did the same.

Kai-4000/Iras-4000

"I will go first." he called. "And I summon Gemini Elf (1900/900) in attack mode. I'll also set one card face down and end my turn."

Iras drew her card, added it to her hand, and then set two cards face down before setting a monster on the field. "I summon Venus, Angel of Creation (1600/0) in attack mode!" A woman in golden robes and blonde hair and three shimmering balls of light floating around her appeared, floating about a foot off the ground. "And then I shall activate my monsters special ability, by paying 1500 of my Life Points to call forth three of my Holy Shine Spheres from my deck in defense mode, five hundred for each." As her Life Points took a significant dip, Iras pulled three cards from her deck, and the three spheres that orbited the angel moved away from her, each standing.......err, floating on its own.

Kai-4000/Iras-2500

"I draw!" Kai shouted. "And I summon Breaker the Magic Warrior (1600/1000)!" he smiled as his favorite monster appeared on the field. He was dressed in scarlet robes with a cape fluttering in the back, a shield and sword gripped in each hand. "Now, Breaker gains his magic counter, raising his attack points by 300 (1900), but I'll instantly sacrifice it to destroy the card you set on the left!" The blue sword lit up with a white light, which he flung at her face down card, which shattered to reveal a trap card with a beam of light moving across the picture.

"I'll chain your move by activating that card, which is known as Solar Ray!" The beam of light was released from the card and bypassed Kai's monsters, striking him in the chest and nearly knocking him to the ground.

Kai-1600/Iras-2500

"My Solar Ray trap card deals you 600 points of damage for each Light attribute monster I have face up on my field, making a total of 2400 points of damage." she explained in her monotonous voice. She had not yet smiled or shown any signs of emotion other than raw determination.

"Fine." he snapped through clenched teeth. "Now I'll have Gemini Elf attack your Angel of Creation!" the twin elves charged across the field and slashed with their long nailed claws, ripping the blond angel apart. "Then my Magic Warrior will attack one of your Holy Shine Spheres!" the red-robed magician leapt into the air a few feet before swinging his sword down, cutting the ball of light in half exactly. "Your turn."

Kai-1600/Iras-2200

Iras drew her card. "I shall summon Hysteric Fairy (1800/500) in attack mode!" she began her turn as the angel in a blue school uniform appeared. "And then I shall play the magic card, Cestus of Dagla to raise her attack points by 500 (2300/1000)." In each hand appeared a crescent shaped blade. "Now Hysteric Fairy, attack his Magic Warrior!" she commanded. The fairy swept across the field, slashing downward with the steel weapons, cutting Breaker in half. "And now, any Life Points you lose will be added to my score, as is the effect of my Cestus."

Kai-1000/Iras-2900 

"You done?" Kai snapped, perhaps a bit colder than he had intended. She nodded and he drew. "I'll switch Gemini Elf to defense mode," the two women crouched low, crossing their arms over their chests. "And then I'll summon a monster in defense mode."

"I shall now set one card face down and then summon Ami, the White Mage (1200/0) in attack mode." A small girl in a white dress appeared, a thin magic wand in her hands. "And now, during each of my Standby Phases, I'll gain 400 Life Points for each monster I control. And for my last move, I shall equip my Hysteric Fairy with my Fairy Meteor Crush magic card." she said as she activated her last card in her hand. "With this in play, I can damage your Life Points, even if your monster is in defense mode. So now I'll have Pikeru attack your Gemini Elf!" The child raised her wand and fired a stream of sparks which rained down upon the sister elves and burned them. "And then my Hysteric Fairy will attack your defense monster." Kai's Mystical Elf exploded, lowering his Life Points while strengthening Iras's.

Kai-700/Iras-3200

"Big mistake, Iras." Kai smiled as he drew his fifth card. "Ami has so few attack points that I can deal with it easily." He grabbed a card from his hand between his pinky and ring fingers while the one he had just drawn remained tightly grasped between his thumb and index fingers. "I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Fairy Meteor Crush!" A cyclone of wind and lightning was released from his new card and surrounded Iras's Hysteric Fairy, removing the fright glow from around her when it had cleared. "Then I'll summon my Skilled White Magician (1700/1900) in attack mode, and have it attack your White Mage!" A man in bright silver robes appeared on the field, a long staff held in his hand. He raised the staff above his head as a white sphere of light began to fabricate, which he then released at the white magician. However, at the last instant Iras's face down card revealed itself, and a red barrier appeared with a single line going from it to Iras's Duel Disk.

"My trap card, Energy Absorption stopped your attack, ended your battle phase, and added one half of the attack points of your monster to my Life Points." she explained as Kai's mouth hung agape.

Kai-700/Iras-4050

"Fine, I'll set two cards face down and end my turn." he growled. Already Iras just barely managed to reach a level of Life Points beyond what she started with. His eyes wandered from his two face down cards to the one solitary card he held in his hand. If everything worked out, he'd hold together. Sadly, that was a _big_ 'if.'

"I shall draw and now my Ami, the White Mage will raise my Life Point by 1600, as I have two Holy Shine Spheres, Hysteric Fairy, and of course herself."

Kai-700/Iras-5650

"Now I summon my Mercury, Angel of Wisdom (0/1700) in defense mode, and set two cards face down." she said solemnly as an angel in blue robes and azure skin appeared, as well as her last two cards face down. "And now I'll have my Hysteric Fairy attack your Skilled White Magician!" she commanded as the fair raised her curved weapons into the air, preparing to slash down.

"Reveal face down card!" Kai shouted. However, Iras did not even flinch. "Soul Spell will transport my Skilled White Magician to my hand and replace it with a level four spellcaster therein." he explained, swapping the monster from his Duel Disk with the last card from his hand. "Say hello to my Steadfast Magician (500/2200)!" A man in blue and gold robes crouching behind an ivory staff appeared, a blue shield appearing around him. However, the power of the barrier was not enough to hold off the attack, and it soon shattered, allowing the Fairy to cut him in two. "And now you've activated my Steadfast Magicians ability, which allows me to specially summon one level four or lower Spellcaster from my hand when he's destroyed." he smiled, slapping his last card onto his Duel Disk. "Now, Skilled White Magician (1700/1900), return to the field in defense mode!"

"Very well. I end my turn, but understand, Kai, that I will reclaim the Millennium Rod and continue my families duties." Iras vowed as Kai drew a card, bringing his hand to a total of one.

"Again with the Rod?" he vented. "Listen to me Iras, your families duties are finished. The Puzzle was completed and the darkness purged a century ago! You don't need the Millennium Rod. If you did, then why did it choose me?"

"You are the instrument through which the Rod will find its way back to the Tomb Keepers!" she shot back.

"We'll just have to wait and see, wont we." he stated. "I'll set one card face down and end my turn." he grimaced, ignoring the beads of sweat that trickled down his cheek. The Duel was not going his way.

"Very well, it is time for my Angel of Wisdom's effect to activate." Iras stated, drawing a card to begin her turn. "Because I had no card in my hand when your turn ended, I can now draw one extra card." She added one more, raising her hand to two. "Then I shall activate my face down card, Return of Tithes! This trap card can only be activated when I have fewer cards in my hand than I do Light-type monsters on the field. I can then draw one card for each Light monster I control, so now I draw five cards, making my total seven!"

"Activate trap card!" Kai shouted as the card he had set the turn before flipped up. "Power Balance activates when I have no card in my hand. Now you must discard half your hand and then I can draw that number of cards." he explained as Iras looked at her seven cards uneasily. "But, because you have an uneven number of cards in your hand, you have to round up, meaning you discard four, and I draw four, putting me ahead of you!" he smiled as she decided on her four cards, which then allowed him to draw the same number.

"Your trap may have been effective, but destiny shall guide me through to victory." Iras coldly stated. Kai wasn't sure what it was, but something about Iras seemed rather familiar and close to him. Was someone else in his life this cold and determined? This pressed to achieve some distant and immaterial goal?

"Iras, if you possess the Millennium Tauk, the you must have seen that you'll lose this battle and the Rod to me. I can't explain it, but I feel that separating the Rod from me could be dangerous."

"I know what is to come, and I can only protect the world if all the Millennium Items are accounted for and in my families keep." she insisted.

"I'll just have to show then, that the Rod has chosen me, and that if we must, we will change what you have seen!" Kai countered, maintaining his steel vision.

"You cannot escape what is to come. A darkness like none other will consume the world if my family cannot reclaim all seven Millennium Items. You may not understand now, but you will, with time." she stared back at her cards. "But I cannot waste my time trying to convince you of what you refuse to believe. Now, let us complete the Duel. I now shall gain 2000 Life Points because of my White Mage's special ability."

Kai-700/Iras-7650

"Next I shall sacrifice my two Holy Shine Spheres to my Hysteric Fairy, whose effect will then increase my Life Points by 1000 more!" The two balls of light both floated over to the angel, who held out her hands, palms up. The balls of light both maneuvered into her upturned hands, where they were quickly dissolved and the angel began to glow with a golden aura, which then transferred to Iras, increasing her Life Points.

Kai-700/Iras-8650

"Finally, my Hysteric Fairy shall attack your Skilled White Magician, fallowed by a direct attack by Ami, the White Mage!" she commanded as first her lager angel swooped down on Kai's monster, slashing him in two. The small girl in white then released a small spout of sparks that showered over Kai.....When a small spot of fluff appeared and caught on fire, hopping around and shrieking as the inferno grew. 

"What did you do?" Iras demanded as Kai brushed the small ball of fire aside, which then dissolved into nothingness.

"I discarded one of the monsters I drew when I used Power Balance; Kuriboh. When discarded, he blocks one attack you throw at me. However, it would seem that he doesn't very much like fire." Kai explained with a slightly cocky grin.

"I shall set one more card face down and that shall end my turn." 

Kai drew, making his hand four cards full once again. "I'll first summon one of my newest monsters, being as how you've been so kind as to build up your field." he smiled. "Since you have two more monsters than I do on the field, I can now Specially Summon this, my Fiend Megacyber (2200/1200) in attack mode!" Kai shouted with a smile as his prize from the young samurai boy appeared. "Then I'll activate this magic card, Card Destruction, forcing us both to discard the two cards we each hold and draw two new ones." Both players did as told, inserting their old hands and drawing two new cards each. "Next I'll summon my Drillago (1600/1100) in attack mode." The machine of spheres and drills appeared, poised for attack. "Now Drillago, attack Ami, the White Mage now!" Kai shouted, directing his drill monster. The spirals on each of its arms began to increase in their rotation speeds as it lunged towards the white robed girl, who was crouching in terror.

However, at the last minute, a dome appeared around the girl, intercepting the attack.

"What have you done Iras?" Kai demanded of the young Egyptian woman.

"I activated my trap card, Drain Shield." she explained, motioning towards the holographic version of the card she had used. "This stops your attack and increases my Life Points by the same amount of attacks points your monster possesses."

"Not today." Kai smirked, pressing a button on his Duel Disk.. The face down card he had set on his first turn flipped up, revealing a circle of magical energies with a ripped card floating above it. "I activate Trap Jammer to destroy you trap card, as it was activated during the Battle Phase!" As Kai sighed with relief, Iras' barrier cracked and shattered, allowing his monster to press forward and shatter Ami.

Kai-700/Iras-8250

"Now Fiend Megacyber, attack and destroy Mercury, Angel of Wisdom!" the warrior in golden armor leapt at the blue skinned angel, driving his fist into her stomach, shattering her. "That ends my turn."

Iras drew a card, bringing her total to three. "I shall summon my Dunamis Dark Witch (1800/1050) in attack mode to begin." A young girl with lavender hair that stopped short of her shoulders, dressed in a white and red blouse and a white skirt, with large wings extending out of her back appeared.

"Thank-you, Iras." Kai called across the field. "Your summoning has triggered my face down card, Dark Renewal!" As he said this, his last face down card flipped over, revealing a thin coffin of dark ebony with an ivory cross carved upon the top. The casket slowly emerged from the holographic card as both Iras' Witch and Kai's Drillago disappeared. "This will revive a Spellcaster that I discarded last turn when I activated my Card Destruction magic card. So come forth, Dark Magician!" The twin doors of the coffin snapped open, and Kai's purple robed sorcerer jumped out, standing tall and ready. "Make your choice, Iras. You could attack my Fiend Megacyber and gain 100 Life Points, provided your attack got through, but then my Dark Magician would be free to attack you and deal you 200 points of damage, plus any other monster I summon on my next turn will attack directly. If you don't attack, you can switch your monster to defense mode, but then I'll trample all over you Life Points anyway." Iras stared hard into Kai's eyes, and again, he felt the sense of familiarity. However, setting his feeling aside, Kai continued to press his opponent. " So, what will you do?"

"I shall have my Hysteric Fairy attack you Fiend Megacyber!" she responded, ignoring the obvious risk of her attack. The angel swooped down upon Kai's warrior and spit it in two, taking 100 of Kai's Life points, and giving Iras that same amount.

Kai-600/Iras-8350

"Now I shall set one card face down. Now I am done." she completed as a brown backed card appeared on the field before her.

"I'm about to even things up." Kai grinned, drawing a card. "Dark Magician, attack Hysteric Fairy!" he commanded as his magician began to gather energy.

"Activate trap card," Iras shouted as her down card flipped over. "Heaven Mirror!" A large glass mirror materialized between the attack and the angel. "This trap card will stop your attack and increase my Life Points by 1000, as well as force you to discard one card from your hand!" she explained as the blast caused the mirror to explode, and the dust that remained formed into an orb which then struck Iras, increasing her strength. As this was going on, Kai was submitting his card to his Graveyard.

Kai-600/Iras-9350

"Very well. I set my last card face down and end my turn. Neither of us has any card in our hand, Iras. We each have a powerful monster on the field, and one card face down. The question is, whose side is destiny on?" Kai grinned, noting the frustration building on her brow.

"The Millennium Rod will be mine!" she shouted. "Only then can the world be saved. It is my destiny to ensure that."

"Iras, please, understand that I respect your passion, but I will not allow you to win. The Rod has led me through too much, and I wont allow you to hinder me." Kai defended, fixing her with his steely gaze. "I will face what is to come, and if I must I will change fate!"

"You speak boldly only because you do not understand what you will face." Iras countered. "I know what you have seen. You have seen visions of the pain that is to come, and the blood that shall accompany it. And if you continue to cling to the Millennium Rod, you will charge into battle and be destroyed, and then the Rod's powers shall be in the hands of those that would use it to the utmost destruction."

"Iras, I can change what you have seen. Any person can change what will happen. If you do possess the Tauk, then you should already know this. You should already know that it does not guarantee a surety of the future, but what will happen if someone does not try to change it!"

"Let us battle then, and whomever is victorious decide the future of our world." she snapped, slipping a new card into her hand. "I shall summon a monster in defense mode, and then I'll switch my Hysteric Fairy to defense mode as well. Then I'll activate my Fairy's special ability, sacrificing both of my two remaining Holy Shine Spheres to receive 1000 Life Points. Then I will end my turn."

Kai-600/Iras-10350

Kai drew his card, the only one in his hand. It was a good card, but it was useless for the time being. "Dark Magician, attack her defense monster now!" The sage lifted his stave into the air, a black orb of light forming at the staffs head. He pointed it at the face down card only meters away and released. What was revealed was a beautiful woman in flowing robes and a balance of solid gold set directly in front of her. She shattered, but then quickly reappeared seconds later to the side of the battle field, as if she were a referee. "What is that? What's it doing?" Kai asked, the surprise in his voice obvious.

"My Angel of Balance (500/1300) has a special ability that activates while she is in the Graveyard." Iras explained, drawing a new card. "Now I shall summon my second Mercur, Angel of Wisdom (0/1700) in defense mode and end my turn."

"I draw-" Kai began his turn, but cut himself off as he noticed the angel to his left begin to radiate with light and her scale tipped towards him. "What's it doing?" he asked Iras, who he then noticed was drawing a card.

"My Angel of Balance's ability permits me to draw a card each time you draw a card." she explained, the angels scales returning to an equal level.

"Fascinating." Kai marveled. "I've never heard of a card like that. It'll be quite profitable to my deck in the end." he smiled. "I summon a monster in defense mode, and then I'll order my Dark Magician to attack your Hysteric Fairy!" he commanded as his magical monster destroyed the blue haired woman.

Iras drew a card, giving her a total of two. "Now I shall activate the magic card, Heavenly Prism!" As she activated her magic card, a large crystal, perfectly smooth and prism shaped with a pointed tip on each end, began to hover above her Angel of Wisdom. "By sacrificing my one Angel monster, I create three Cherub Tokens (500/1000) in defense mode." As she said this, a her blue angel began to dissolve into light, which then flowed into the crystal, and then was released again as three separate beams, each taking the form of a small cherub. "And now that I have four monsters on my field, I can summon this," Iras explained, turning her card around to show Kai. "Luna, Angel of Purity (2400/800)."

"That's an eight star monster." Kai gasped. "You're going to sacrifice the tokens you just created."

"Not at all." she smiled. "Luna's special ability lowers her level by one for each face up Light Attribute monster on the field. Since there are four, she is now a level four monster." With that, Iras slapped the card onto her field. A maiden with flowing silver hair, a silver tiara, golden wings, and white dress, radiating brilliantly appeared on the field. "My turn ends."

'Why would she summon a monster that's weaker than my Dark Magician?' Kai pondered, drawing a card and allowing Iras to do so as well. 'Wait, she still has that face down card she set five turns ago. She may have set that up in advance to prepare for an attack.'

"I set one card face down, and then I'll summon my mighty Blade Knight (1600/1200) in attack mode. And since I have no other cards in my hand, Blade Knight receives an extra 400 attack points (2000)!"

"What do you hope to achieve with that card?" Iras asked.

"Nothing, for now. I'll end my turn there, back to you Iras." Kai concluded. As Iras drew a card, increasing her hand size once again to two, he felt that sense of familiarity as he had before. "Tell me Iras, why do you question my strategy so? If you have the Millennium Tauk, you should be able to see my moves long before I make them."

"I do not use my Millennium Powers in battle." she responded curtly. "Even if I did, they would not be of use to me now. I intend to change what is to come. I have seen the world when the Items were separated and misused." Iras cast her eyes towards the necklace around her collar. "Aside from that, the Tauk does not provide me with every detail that is to come. It shows me only brief glances into the future. Furthermore, if I were to change my style of combat, so would you. The Tauk is worthless in a battle such as this."

"Then how do you know that you'll win?" Kai asked.

"I have seen the destruction that will fallow Battle City. I intend to change that. The Tauk cannot assist me further, but it has prepared me, showing me what I am fighting to prevent." she explained. " Now, I shall show you the true power of my deck." she assured., holding up one card. A small pocket extended out of the end of her Duel Disk, and she slipped the card in. Immediately a large collection of structures which together made one large temple appeared. Clouds began to form at the temples base, and a heavenly chorus was heard emanating from the cathedral walls. "I play the field magic card, Sanctuary of the Sky!"

'Shadows. An absence of light. How much do the simple humans know about them? How much do they understand about the chaos contained within each shroud of darkness?'

Not enough. 

The lone figure began to smile cruelly at his own maliciousness. Despite his imprisonment in the empty pit of shadow, he could feel it. The humans and their emotions were playing perfectly into his hands. As their emotions intensified, the time drew ever closer. The time was at hand. The time to strike. The time for vengeance. The time for power.

'If only they knew. If only they could understand what is to come. The darkness. _My_ darkness. I'll plunge this world into the abyss of my power, and then revive it as my own. I shall reign supreme. I cannot be stopped. These mortal do nothing but continue to play into my hands. As their emotions push their energies to their max, I wait for my chance to emerge. Soon I shall be strong enough to break free and finish what I began a century ago. And this time, there is no Pharaoh to stand in my way!' He laughed. It was a cold and merciless laugh. It continued and rang throughout the endless shadows, and would have sent chills up the spines all that heard it, but nobody did.

A dark figure in a lifeless room watched the various Duels occurring throughout the city via a large video screen with dozens of smaller images splattered across. However, the two that held the greatest fascination for him were of course the ones that concerned his two primary targets.

"Their energies grow stronger. While the one is learning the ways of his magic, the other has no idea what he possesses. But soon, I will take from them what I want, and leave nothing in my wake. I cannot be stopped!" he trailed off, his dark laughter filling the room as one screen displayed a large dragon moving in for the final blow against an armored maiden with blue hair on a horse back, while another showed a large temple in the clouds emerging. He laughed on and on, his dreams of power were finally, at last going to be his.

Iras stared into Kai's eyes, and he felt as though her gaze reached his soul. It was a stare that seemed to condemn him. Iras' glare continued to press on, reminding Kai of another whom he had known. 'Who is it?!' he screamed to himself. 'Who does she remind me off? It's someone I once valued. Someone with such a similar stare, who cares not for the things of the world, but more so for the sanctity of the soul. Who?'

"Does my Sanctuary confuse you, Kai?" Iras questioned, the ends of her mouth giving the slightest curve of confidence. "Do you wonder what it is capable of? Allow me to explain; my while Sanctuary of the Sky is in play, you cannot damage my Angel creatures in battle."

"Then how do I decrease your Life Points to zero?" Kai queried.

"You'd have to find a way past my Angels to do that." Iras explained. "However, my Sanctuary does more that just protect me." Iras played the card she held. "I sacrifice two of my Cherub Tokens for one of my most powerful creatures." A pillar of light exploded underneath two of Iras' small nymphs, which they became lost in. In their place was a new seraph, pearl-skinned with immense wings, a large crown of gold on her head as white and sapphire streaked robes hung loose upon her body, and a staff of fine ivory, encrusted with jewels grasped in her hands. "Behold Jupiter, Angel of Eternity(2600/2300)!"

"If you think that that monster can defeat me, your wrong, Iras." Kai calmly challenged. "I'll find a way to defeat it and then I'll go after your Life Points."

"Indeed, you do seem prepared." Iras admitted, acknowledging Kai's two face down cards. "Therefore, I wont attack this turn."

"Then it's my move." Kai sighed as he and Iras both drew a card, thanks to her Angel of Balance. "Now Iras, I'll activate the magic card I drew, Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards." As he pulled the two new card free, Iras received one card as well from her deck due to her monsters effect. "And since I now have more than one card in my hand, Blade Knight loses his attack bonus, lowering him back to 1600. However, that's just what I wanted." he grinned, activating one of his face down card. "I activate Card of Last Will, allowing me to draw five new cards when my monsters attack points decrease, giving me a total of seven cards."

"I activate my trap card," Iras shouted as Kai drew his last card. "Shortening Life forces you to discard one card from your hand for each turn that it was face down. And since it was on the field for six turns, you must discard six cards." With great aggravation, Kai inserted all but one card into his Graveyard. "And since you drew a card through your trap cards effect, I also can draw, giving my hand a total of three."

"You may have more cards than I do Iras, but it's not the number of cards in your hand, its how they are used. And right now, I'm going to summon this rare magician to the field, who will give me my last chance to defeat you." Slapping his one card onto the field, Kai began to pray that his plan would work. "I summon Spirit Sorcerer (1600/1400) in defense mode." A figure in black robes and sitting cross-legged appeared, Each hand rested on a knee with their palms opened and facing upward, and a ball of light floating above each hand. "And through his special ability, I can remove monsters in my Graveyard from play and return one trap card to my hand for each one I remove. Therefore, I'll remove Fiend Megacyber, Gemini Elf, Beast of Gilfar, and Magician of Lost Ways (A/N: You'll see later on in this story) from play to retrieve four trap cards."

Kai's Duel Disk began to whir as first four cards were expelled from his Graveyard, which he took and held up to show Iras the four named monsters as he pocketed them. As he withdrew his hand from his vest pocket all trap cards that he had either discarded or used were released. Snatching up the small pile of cards, Kai quickly surveyed them, chose his four, set the rest back in the Graveyard, and then set his four cards.

"Next I'll switch Blade Knight and Dark Magician both to defense mode, and end my turn." Kai concluded as both of his monsters knelt down into a crouching position, crossing their arms over their chests.

"Jupiter, attack and destroy Dark Magician!" Iras commanded as she drew her fourth card. Her angel extended her are outward, hand open and fingers outstretched. White energy formed into a ball withing her hand, which then became a stream of light that sped towards the enchanter. The mage exploded in a flurry of holographic dust. "And now I gain the difference in Life Points between my monsters attack and the points of your monster, depending on whichever mode it was in, as is my Angel of Eternity's effect." she explained.

Kai-600/Iras-10850

"Activate trap card, Rope of Life!" Kai yelled as one of his five face down cards flipped over and a cord extended into a pit that appeared in the ground. "This card forces me to discard my entire hand, but it will revive my monster and add 800 attack points to its total!" The twine began to recede from the chasm, Kai's Magician clutching it firmly.

"I can still attack with my Angel of Purity." Iras pointed out. "Attack and destroy his Blade Knight!" The guardian angel of the moon clasped her hands together and began to whisper under her breath. Suddenly, a column of light descended from the sky as if the patience of some god had finally been exhausted, and now their wrath was to fall upon the Earth and strike down all that opposed it. Sadly, that was Kai's small Blade Knight.

"I'll activate one of the traps I just retrieved;" Kai shouted as the holographic card flipped over. "Magicians Ordination!" From Kai's own trap was a second burst of light released, which intercepted and canceled out Iras' attack. "Because my Dark Magician was specially summoned this turn, your turn is ended and I get to draw a card." Both players increased their hand size by one, Kai for his trap card, and Iras for her Angel of Balance's effect. "So now it's my move." (Iras: 5)

Kai drew his second card and then stared back at Iras, who fixed him with an identical leer. "I hold two cards, which means Blade Knight loses attack points once again (1600). And now Iras, I can once again activate my trap card, Card of Last Will!" Kai repeated his last turn as the trap activated and he pulled five cards free, allowing Iras to draw one. "Next I'll summon my Witch of the Healing Arts (1500/1100) in attack mode!" A woman in black robes and a hood pulled partially over her head appeared, a small bottle in her hand. "She cannot attack, but I can sacrifice her to lower your Life Points by the amount of attack points one of your monsters possesses." he explained as the witch began to deteriorate, and soon had completely melted away, leaving only her bottle, which dropped and shattered, having no force to keep it in the air. A thick purple steam began to move up from the shards of glass and the puddle of liquid, and it soon had found its way to Iras' field and wrap around her Jupiter Angel of Eternity. "So now you lose 2600 Life Points, and I gain that same amount!"

Kai-3200/Iras-8250

"You may still have more than twice of what I have, but that does even the score a bit." Kais sighed. Having Life Points was a definite relief. "Now Dark Magician, attack her Luna, Angel of Purity!" The sorcerer aimed his staff carefully at Iras' monster and discharged as burst of magical energy as her.

Before the attack could connect, a thin screen burst to life and protected the angel, easily fizzling the Magicians attack. Kai looked on it shock and wonder until his eyes fell upon the glowing Sanctuary behind Iras' monsters.

"You seem to forgotten the incredible powers of my Sanctuary of the Sky." Iras nearly sneered, fixing Kai with her steadfast gaze. "My Angels cannot be destroyed as long as it's on the field."

"You can't hide behind your Sanctuary forever!" Kai shouted. "I'll find a way to destroy it! End turn."

Iras drew her seventh card, meaning she had to use at least one of them that turn or discard it when her turns end came. "First I shall sacrifice my last Cherub Token, along with my Hysteric Fairy to raise my Life Points by 1000 through my Fairy's effect."

Kai-3200/Iras-9250

"Next I shall summon one of the most powerful Angels in my deck, Mars, Angel of Power (0/0)!" Iras' new cherubim was a truly different sight than any other she had thus played. All of her previous monsters had been maidens in fine linen robes and gorgeous wings. Mars was male with red skin and pants, but no covering over his top. Dark blue wings stretched out of his back and he grasped a spear in his left hand, while his right seemed to be itching to take up the massive hammer which was strapped to his back.

"How can a creature with an attack and defense power of zero be one of your strongest?" Kai asked.

"My Angel of Power's attack points become that of the difference between our Life Points, so long as my Life Points are greater than yours are." Iras explained as Kai's eyes began to clearly display his shock at Mars' newfound strength of 6050! "However, to use this effect, my Sanctuary of the Sky must be in effect at all times." she concluded. "Mars, attack the Dark Magician!" she commanded.

The red cherub flapped his powerful wings and rose into the air, a celestial being preparing to smite the wicked. His right arm snatched the hammer off of his back in a flash, and his decent began, the mallets head of steel crushing Kai's Magician.

"Activate trap card!" Kai shouted. "My Spell Theft card activated when you destroyed my Spellcaster creature! I can now search my deck for any magic card and add it to my hand." Smiling with relief, Kai pulled the card from his deck.

"I'll continue my attack by ordering my Angel of Purity to attack your Blade Knight!" The angel began to once again pray, bringing the judging pillar of light down upon Kai's monster. In only a few seconds, Kai had lost one of his better level four creatures, which had been key to fighting back against Iras in particular. "And finally, I shall destroy your Spell Sorcerer with my Angel of Eternity!" The spiral of heavenly light erupted from the seraphs palms, leaving to trace of Kai's final monster. "That ends my turn."

"I draw." Glancing over his seventh card, Kai began to plan, not even noticing as Iras drew a card as well. "I'll summon a monster in defense mode and set one card face down, ending my turn."

Drawing her eighth card, Iras immediately called to her monsters. "Mars, attack with attack with Strike of Heaven!" Once again, the blue winged monster rose into the air, hammer in hand. When the club finally met, a small brown squirrel shattered.

"You've attacked my Nimble Momonga (1000/100)!" Kai called. "This monster raises my Life Points by one thousand when destroyed, and then calls two more from my deck." Instantly, two more of the brown monsters appeared, forming a barrier between Kai and Iras. "But also, you've activated my trap, and it's one of my most powerful cards: Soul Crosswire!"

Kai-4200/Iras-9250

Kai began to search his deck, selected a card, and then held his hand out in front of his graveyard, excepting the card that was ejected towards him. "My Soul Crosswire activates when one of my monsters is destroyed. I must pay 1000 Life Points, but in exchange, I can select a level four monster from both my deck and Graveyard and summon them to the field instantly. So I choose both of my Magician's Valkyries(1600/1800)! One which was discarded earlier when you activated Shortening Life, and the other from the bottom of my deck!"

Kai-3200/Iras-9250

On Kai's field appeared two young blond girls in identical blue outfits similar to the Dark Magicians style, and each held a small baton in her hand (A/N: For those that don't know, Magician's Valkyrie is identical in look to the Dark Magician Girl, just with a small change in clothes and wand).

"Now I have four monsters defending me. If you attack either of my Nimble Momongas, I'll gain Life Points, which will weaken Mars; and if your attack my Valkyries, well, you'll see." He trailed off.

"Very well, Angel of Purity and Angel of Eternity, attack!" she commanded as each prepared their attacks. The streams of purple and white both advanced on the magical maidens, one from above and the other from bellow. However, at the last minute, they both stopped, swerved away, and then collided with each other, neutralizing one another. "What?"

"As long as Magicians Valkyrie is in play, you can't target and other Spellcaster monster I control." Kai explained. "And since I have two on the field, they protect one another, meaning you can't attack me as long as I have them on the field."

"Very well, I shall end my turn by placing two cards face down." Iras uttered, bringing her hand down to five cards in size.

"Alright, the time has come Iras, for me to me to destroy your Sanctuary of the Sky and begin my attack." Kai said, increasing his hand size to six, as did Iras. "I'll set one card face down, and then I'll sacrifice my two Nimble Momonga's for my Star Mage (2700/1400) in attack mode!" As the two rodents disappeared, a young man in robes that seemed to be both blue and white at the same time, like a start against a clear sky, appeared. "However, I can't attack this turn, so it's time for me to end my turn."

"I activate a trap card!" Iras shouted, flipping over one of the cards she had set the previous turn. "Light of Judgement allows me to discard one Light attribute monster from my hand to destroy one of card you've set on the field, and I choose one of your Magician's Valkyries!" As she placed the card she had just draw in her Graveyard, a single bolt of lightning reached from the heavens above and obliterated one of Kai's magical maidens. "Next I shall order Mars to attack your Star Mage while Luna attacks your Valkyrie, and then a direct attack from Jupiter shall end my turn."

"I don't think so!" Kai shouted as all thre angels prepared their attacks. Mars had risen to the air, Jupiter was gathering energy, and Luna was beginning her prayer. "I activate all three of my face down cards!" he shouted, pressing the three activation buttons on his Duel Disk. "First my Dark Magic Revival will activate one magic card in my Graveyard!" A large coffin appeared above the Dueling Field, kept afloat via a pentagram that rested just bellow it. "And the card I've chosen is my Mystical Space Typhoon, and I'm directing it at your Sanctuary of the Sky!" As the coffin opened a cyclone of air burst free and surrounded the ancient temple, spinning rapidly and ripping the stone structure apart, piece by piece.

However, this did little to stop Iras' monsters, as they continued to prepare their attacks. "And because you no longer have your Sanctuary of the Sky in play, your Angel of Power loses all of his attack points!"

As Kai pointed this fact out, the hammer in Mars' hand began to crack. However, at the last second, he thrust his spear forward in a final, feeble attempt to strike his opponent down. The Mage simply knocked the attack to the side with his own staff before catching the fallen angel with the tip and firing a blast of magic into the cherubs stomach at point-blank range.

"Your Valkyrie will still fall!" Iras pointed out.

"Better think again!" Kai countered, pointing to his other card. "Magicians Select activates when you target a Spellcaster monster on my field! Your attack is negated and your monster on the field with the least attack points is destroyed!" Luna exploded into a collection of light particles as her attack suddenly was cut off. "And since my two monsters are still on the field, your last Angel must attack my Magicians Valkyrie!" True to Kai's word, the final seraphs purple blast was released and annihilated the last of Kai's smaller magicians on the field.

"Very well, I shall end my turn." Iras growled, her once calm visage and manner nearly gone. Despite the fact that she wasn't using magic to predict Kai's moves, she had seemed fairly certain that he couldn't win. But now, his strategies seemed like he was right; that perhaps he _could_ change the future that she had seen. _'No! Only the Tomb Keepers can stop the darkness! If he should continue to bare the Rod, then destruction is assured.'_ She struggled within herself, debating what she should do.

'You're mistaken, Iras.' Kai though. 'I may not possess the experience to use the Rod the way you do your Tauk, and I don't have a clue of what is to come. What I do know is that if I don't press on and face what is to come, then yes, the world is doomed. Why can't we work-' Kai froze mid-though. 'That's it! Of course! Iras, how strange and unexpected that you should remind me of...' Kai let his thoughts trail off as he and Iras both drew a card.

Kai-3200/Iras-9650

"How did your score go up?" Kai demanded as he watched the numbers on Iras' Duel Disk increase by 400.

"After Luna, the Angel of Purity is destroyed, I receive 400 Life Points whenever I draw a card." she explained. "And because of my Angel of Balance, I will raise my Life Points far beyond anything you've ever faced."

"Not if I wipe them out first." Kai challenged. "I summon my Retrained Celtic Guardian (1400/1200), whom I'll instantly sacrifice for my newest magic card, Monster Gate!" As Kai dictated his move the elvish warrior appeared before a vortex behind him opened and pulled him into the abyss. "This magic card allows me to draw cards until I reach a monster, which will be special summoned, and all cards I draw will be sent to the Graveyard." Kai pulled the top four cards off his thinning deck until he found the first monster, which he happily slapped onto the field.

A man in white robes very similar to the Dark Magicians, and bearing a silver staff in his hands appeared. "I've summoned the twin brother of the Dark Magician: Light Magician (2500/2100)!" Kai explained as Iras stared at his new monster with a grain of fear in her eyes. 'Eyes so strong and determined, just like....' Kai shook his head. He couldn't allow himself to be distracted when he was so close to getting the answers he needed. "And each turn that my Light Magician is in play, I can activate one magic card in my Graveyard, but then I must remove that card from play." Kai lowered his right hand to rest right above his Graveyard slot, which ejected a card into his hand. "I play one of the cards I discarded when I played Card Destruction, Dimension Fusion!" he shouted as he slapped the card onto his field. "I must give up two thousand of my Life Points, but in exchange, all monsters that have been removed from play are summoned to the field!" Kai explained, extending his hand to his vest pocket and retrieved the four monsters he had removed earlier.

Kai-1200/Iras-9650

"Remember those monsters I removed for my Spirit Sorcerer's effect? They're back!" Kai chose the three monsters he'd summon, returned the one to his pocket, and then laid the three down on his field. "I summon Fiend Megacyber (2200/1200), Beast of Gilfer (2200/2500), and Magician of the Lost Ways (2000/1600)!" The warrior in gold armor, the demon creature in scarlet armor, and a man in simple monk cloths with a walking stick appeared. "Star Mage, attack and destroy Jupiter, Angel of Creation!" The wizard extended his staff upward was a spiral of some sort appeared in the sky. Lights could be seen in the spiral, moving evenly with it as its speed increased. Suddenly, the spinning ended and the stars fell from the sky and mercilessly destroyed the last card Iras possessed.

Kai-1200/Iras-9550

"Now my monsters, end this. Direct attack!" he shouted. First the Fiend Megacyber charged in and delivered a ravaging punch to Iras, knocking her back a few feet, but she regained her composure and held up her left arm, ready to continue.

Kai-1200/Iras-7350

"Beast of Gilfar, Hell-Stream!" The fire demon released a long stream of holographic hellflames which came to life all around Iras, bruing away another large portion of Life Points.

Kai-1200/Iras-5150

"Light Magician, Light Magic Attack!" The necromancer extended his stave and fired a burst of white light which blinded both Duelists for an instant.

Kai-1200/Iras-2650

"Magician of the Lost Ways, end this!" The mage lifted his spear a few feet before slamming the bottom end into the ground. He began to mutter as he lifted his left hand up to be even with his face, palm facing to the side and fingers up. "And perhaps I should tell you that my Magician of the Lost Ways has a special ability; he gains 300 attack points for each magic card in my Graveyard." Kai smiled, showing eight cards to her. "Now my Magician has an attack power of 4400!"

"No!" Iras gasped as the mage took the sphere of light that had formed in his hand and thrown it at her, knocking her to the ground.

Kai-1200/Iras-0

Kai slowly made his way over to Iras, who was pushing against the ground, but did not seem very intent on actually getting up. He extended his hand, but his face remained unphased. He pulled her to her feet, maintaining a vice-like stare on her the whole time.

"I won. I believe you ow me a few things." Iras nodded and handed him her Locator Card and Angel of Balance. He took the cards and stared at them for a moment, absorbed by the angels strong resemblance to Iras herself. When he looked back at Iras, she had unfastened the gold chain which held her necklace attached to her and holding the artifact out towards Kai.

"Just touch it." she directed. He nodded and did so...

_Flash..._

A man stood tall and unwavering, a smile of cruelty and evil upon his face. His hair was wild and black, but no other details other than his grin and hair could be directly distinguished. His eyes and lower body were consumed by shadows.

Suddenly, a small circle appeared on his forehead, and then parallel lines formed, moving from opposite ends and dividing the circle unevenly. Then, after reaching the other end of the circle, they rebounded and flowed towards each other, creating a single diagonal line running between the two lines. Upon connecting, the two lines moved off of each other in opposite directions, to either side of the first two lines, hit the circles edge, and then turned back and ended on the point where they first started, creating a sort of six pointed star. However, it did not illuminate the mans features.

Suddenly, he began to shake slightly, but soon it became obvious that it was with laughter, and the quaking became violent. The voice was low and calm, and carried a dark power with it.

_Flash..._

A bright green light struggled with a light of gold. Their battle seemed to be never ending, constantly going back and forth. Immense energy could be felt from either source. Suddenly, the green light seemed to push the gold back with ease, as if it had been toying with the light. The cold laughter came to life, a note of great triumph in its voice. Suddenly, it spoke.

"After Battle City's end, we meet! Achieve victory and I shall come forth!"

The green light intensified, and then darkness fallowed. Cries of pain and death filled the world. Until a burst of yellow light erupted and the darkness began to crack...

Kai and Iras were both knocked backwards and to the ground by the explosion of light. They lifted their eyes to behold the Millennium Tauk and Millennium Rod both floating in the space between where the two humans had been standing a moment ago.

"What was that?" Kai demanded.

"I'm not sure." Iras confessed. "However, I believe I should beg your forgiveness, Kai." He turned his head towards her and gave her a quizzical look. "I was wrong. I had misinterpreted my visions. It is not that you the Rod will lead to man kinds destruction. It is through you and the Rod that mankind will be saved." Kai gave a slight grin, although he still didn't know what was going on. Brushing it aside, he grabbed the Millennium Rod out of the air and returned it to its holding place in his belt-loop. "However, you must still change what is to come. I have seen the destruction and that you shall oppose it. I have not seen the outcome of the battle."

Taking the Millennium Tauk from the air, Iras turned and walked away. Kai moved as if to stop her, as if to call out, but he found himself and his tongue in a stupor. Returning to a standard position, lowering his arm, Kai turned about, suddenly overcome with fatigue. Stifling a yawn, he made his way towards his apartment.

'Soon,' the figure in the shadowy pit beamed. 'Soon, I shall emerge, and I shall finish it all!'

_To Be Continued..._

There ya have it. And now, for the original cards:

Kai-Soul Spell, Steadfast Magician, Magicians Ordination, Spell Theft, Magician of the Lost Ways, Witch of the Healing Arts, Soul Crosswire, Light Magician, Spirit Sorcerer

Iras-Heaven Mirror, Energy Absorbtion (Made by thegymrat, NOT me. It's HIS), Return of Tithes, Angel of Balance (Inspired by Aldea's Angel of the Balancing Scales), Jupiter, Angel of Eternity, Luna, Angel of Purity, Heaven Prism.

There maybe a few others I'm to tired to really hunt down right now.

Also, Sanctuary of the Sky and many of the cards Iras used not listed above are from the Japanese set 'Sanctuary of the Sky,' and will make up half of the Ancient Sanctuary set coming out in July. Until nest time, see ya!


	10. A Battle ForLove?

Ok, here we are again. Ok, yeah, I know this thing is about four weeks later than I said it would be, but it was _hard_! I mean, I was working with a character whom I never have before, and he had a personality that I don't normally do. Also, my parents have been trying to get me to paint my room, which i's only a bit don still. So, here I am. Chapter ten. Maybe I should have done something special for it. Nah, never mind. OK, really quickly, I'm going to give you guys the Card of the Chapter, and then it's on to the story:

Reversed Worlds

_Normal Trap You may activate this card is your Cemetery has 15 or more cards in it. Pay 1000 Life Points. Each player switches his or her deck with his or her Cemetery. Each player shuffles his or her new deck afterward._

Here we have another promotion card. This card is actually quite useful. For the simple payment of just 1000 Life Points, you get to turn the Duel around-Literally! I mean, you could get back some of your best cards that you unwisely used early on, or that were discarded. You could oust Exodia Necross. However, the most common use for this card is to deck your opponent out. Indeed, this card was restricted in Japan and has the whole '15 Cards in your Graveyard' requirement try and stop the fallowing combo:

1) Place a good number of cards in the Graveyard (Graceful Charity, Painful Choice, etc).

2) Summon Makyura the Destructor and then destroy him somehow.

3) Activate Makyura's effect to instantly play Reversed Worlds.

4) Sit back and laugh when your opponent goes to draw on their first turn and there is NO Deck to draw from.

Yeah, there a few other ways of using this combo, but this is one of the more common methods.

So there you have it. A fun card that's actually fairly versatile.

Overall Rating: 3/5

Now, for the ad for this chapter: Come on people, go and give Noble Paladin a chance. Make suggestions if you feel they are necessary, whatever, but it really is a good story. Come on! GO!

That is all.

Oh, and if you see a large space between paragraphs, that's because the site wont put in my abstricts.

Now, on with the chapter:

Disclaimer: If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh, would I be posting HERE for FREE?!

A Battle for-Love?

Kai stared at the few cards on the table in front of him. Daylight had washed over the land about an hour ago, and now he was making some last changes to his deck before he returned to Battle City for the last day of the preliminaries.

"First I won Beast of Gilfar (2200/2500) and Zoa (2600/1900) from Ryouga in my first Battle City match." he muttered as he stared at the two cards in his hand, flashes from the battle going through his head. "Beast of Gilfar's been useful, but I haven't made any use of Zoa thus far." he commented, slipping the creature with fewer attack points into his deck while slipping the other into a box which held his extra rare cards.

"Next is Umbrak's deck, which I've gone over so many times, I'm done with it. His Dark Hole is all I really needed though." he scoffed, looking over to the next pair of cards. "Vaun's Fiend Megacyber (2200/1200) and Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight (2300/2100) are useful, so I'll hold onto them for the time being." he decided, slipping them into his deck.

"And finally, Iras' Angel of Balance (900/1300). That's gong in for sure." he smiled, remembering how that one card had created much difficulty less than twelve hours earlier. "In total, I've won six rare cards, six Locator Cards, and now I know that it's up to me to save the world." he chuckled ever so slightly at his poor attempt at a sarcastic comment. Giving his deck a quick shuffle, slipping his Locator Cards into his pocket, pulling a navy blue shirt on over a khaki undershirt, and attaching his Duel Disk to his arm, he was out the door.

Kevin Hunter slipped a forest green shirt on over his black undershirt before slipping his deck into the pouch he wore on his waist. While he was doing this, one would not be able to ignore the completely idiotic grin which was plastered to his features.

'What a night!' he sighed within his mind. 'Just me and Sakura. I don't know how she does it, but something about her, something that makes me just so happy.' he grinned again, brushing his fingers lightly over his right cheek, a bright sparkle in his eyes and a foolish smile in place as he did so. 'And man, for once I found a girl that doesn't try and move fast. A Duel, dinner, and a walk through the city, all topped off with a small peck on the cheek.' he reviewed the previous nights events in his mind. 'Memo to self: Look her up after Battle City is over.'

Shaking his head slightly to clear his mind, Kevin grabbed his Duel Disk and departed for another day of Dueling.

"Hey you!" Kai had not been wandering long before these words stopped him. "Yeah, you with the freaked out hair." the voice persisted.

Turning about, Kai was greeted by a young American, probably about fifteen, with brown, unkept hair, glasses, jeans, and a black shirt with a denim jacket over it, host a snaking dragon which completely wrapped around it. However, the most noteworthy attribute to his attire was the gleaming silver Duel Disk on his left arm.

"I assume that, based upon the Duel Disk you're carrying, you're looking for an opponent." Kai cut the American off before he could even issue a challenge.

"Thought may have crossed my mind." the boy said, inserting his deck. "Or, perhaps I just wanted to ask you to participate in a small, simple, and free survey concerning hair growth in Japan." he slurred in poor Japanese with a grin before giving into all-out laughter at his own sarcastic comment. Kai simply continued to stare, unphased by the small joke. The boy regained control and took a few steps back. "But no, seriously, I've got three Locator Cards, and so I need to hurry up and pick up the slack." he grinned stupidly.

With a sigh, Kai activated his own Duel Disk. 'What am I doing?' he moaned inwardly. 'Based upon recent events, it would seem that whenever an American is involved, something goes wrong.' he languished, remembering his and Kevin's run-in with the Rare Hunters the day before.

"So, we'll each wager one Locator Card and one rare card, correct, Mr...." he asked, stopping mid-sentence, realizing he and the boy had not yet bothered with introductions.

"Matt Willard, Dueling Professional and soon to be the new King of Games." he introduced, taking a pose that seemed to be an attempt at a heroic appearance.

"I'm Kai Kaethan." Kai responded with a raised eyebrow. "And, could you perhaps calm down." he added, drawing five cards.

"What?" Matt gasped, faking offense. "What is this 'calm down' of which you speak?" he jested, using his fingers to make a quotation sign in the air.

Kai-4000/Matt-4000

Sighing in annoyance, Kai drew a sixth card. "I'll go first." he confirmed. He glanced at his opening hand and gulped in horror upon realizing that he didn't have any low level monsters. "I'll two cards face down and that will end y turn." he finished off, slightly nervous.

"Already?" Matt smiled. "OK, not my problem. I'll just use my Tremendous Fire magic card, which will deal you 1000 points of damage directly, while I only take 500." Flames began to dance around Kai, some even advancing on his new blue shirt.

Kai-3000/Matt-4000

"Then I'll summon a monster in defense mode and end my turn." he smiled as a single brown backed card appeared before him.

"My move!" Kai called, whipping the top card off of his deck. 'Strange.' he thought. 'Matt could have attacked me directly, but instead he decided to play in defense mode. Is his monster really that weak?'

"I summon Mirage Mage (1900/800) in attack mode!" A magician in yellow robes and holding only a small wand appeared, his features obscured by his hood. "Mirage Mage, attack!" The illusionist crossed his wand across his chest, releasing a ribbon of light which cut through Matt's defensive monster.

"Ha!" the American laughed. "You've attacked my Masked Curator (500/700),and when he's destroyed, I can draw cards equal to half of the level of the monster that destroyed him. And because your Mirage Magician is a level four monster, I get to draw two cards." he laughed while increasing his hand size to six once again. "Oh, bravo. Good job, I must say."

"I'll end my turn there." Kai grimaced, staring at his four cards in despair. 'Laugh all you want. Soon, I'll get some real combos working. Then, you'll be sorry.'

"I guess I'll just draw this card," Matt said, offhanded. "And then I'll activate my Mask of the Accursed magic card, which I'll attach to your Magician!" On the face of Kai's monster appeared a green mask with a somber expression carved into it. "And with this card in effect, your monster can't switch modes or attack, and it will also deal you 500 points of damage each turn. Oh yeah!"

"Think again!" Kai smiled, extending his arm as one of his face down cards flipped up. "My Dust Tornado trap card will destroy your Mask before I take any damage from it." Kai explain as the spiral of air surrounded his enchanter, ripping the mask from his face before disappearing.

"Well, that sucks." Matt remarked, slouching his body as if in disappointment before shrugging it off. "Oh well. I'll summon a monster in defense mode and set two cards face down, ending my turn. What now, mop-head."

Kai shrugged as he drew a card, ignoring the young Anglos remark. Sarcasm was not something Kai had ever embraced in his life, and although it did at times annoy him, he decided to let it go. "I'll summon Mystical Exorcist (1800/1400) in attack mode." A priest in simple white shrine robes and holding small slips of paper in his hands appeared. "Mirage Mage, attack!" The illusionist swished his wand, again releasing a streak of magic which moved towards Matt's face down monster, which revealed itself to be a large kabuki mask of stone, which deflected the blow.

"Heh, moron." Matt laughed. "You've attacked Shield Mask (300/2400), and whenever it fends off an attack, you have to discard one card from your hand." Matt explained with a cocky smile. Kai quickly decided on his his and reach to slip it into his Graveyard. "Hold it, Dali Llama!" Matt shouted with zest, flipping up one of his face down cards. "I activate Coffin Seller, which will deal you 300 points of damage whenever a monster of yours goes to the Graveyard." he smiled as Kai growled, slipped the monster into his Graveyard, taking the damage.

Kai-2200/Matt-3500

"For your information," Kai breathed sharply. "The Dali Llama is of Tibet, not Japan." the history buff rebuked.

"Whatever." Matt said with a shake of his head. "You seriously need to lighten up."

"I'll consider that after I can figure out a couple of mysteries I currently have swimming around in my head." Kai shot back. "Anyway, I'll end my turn by setting one card face down. You can't win against me, Matt." Kai smirked. "I've already figured your deck out. You rely on direct damage spells and traps, but that's a little something my deck is more or less immune to."

"Well, it certainly has done wonders for you so far." Matt smiled, raising his arm to show the Life Point display on his Duel Disk. "Now Johnny, what have I won today?" the boy asked of no one present in a false voice full of vibrato similar to that of a game show host. "And it looks like we have a winner." he grinned. "I play Hinotama!" In the sky formed a swirl of dots of light, growing bigger as they drew closer to the field. Soon, they were a raging storm of flames which descended upon a puzzled Kai. "Oh yeah!" Matt shouted in triumph. "My magic card will deal you 500 points of direct damage at no cost to me." The balls of fire swiftly collided, striking Kai in the chest and the grown round about him, throwing him off of his feet by the force of their explosions.

Kai-1700/Matt-3500

"No wonder Seto Kaiba banned that card a hundred years ago." Kai winced, clutching his rib cage.

"But it isn't this time around." Matt quickly pointed out with an all-knowing twinkle in his eyes. "And now, to continue my move, I'll summon my Masked Shaman (1800/1300) in attack mode." he grinned as a masked man in black robes appeared, his fingers intertwined with each other. "And when he's summon, I get to activate one Mask card in my Graveyard, so I'll activate my Mask of the Accursed, and attach it to your Mirage Magician!" Once again, the green and yellow mask appeared, latching itself onto the amber robed sage. "I'll also set one card face down and end my turn."

"My move." Kai exclaimed, pulling a card free. Instantly his Life Point reader ticked down by five hundred, do to Matt's magic card.

Kai-1200/Matt-3500

"My card is the continuous magic card, Magic Sanctuary!" he called as a limestone temple appeared behind him, much smaller than the one Iras had played the night before. " And this card allows us both to place any one magic card from our decks in our hands." he explained as both Duelists pulled their decks free and each quickly chose a card. 'Knowing him, he'll choose another direct damage card.' Kai mused. 'So I'll just take this card.' he smiled as he grabbed the card, shuffled his deck, and then instantly slipped the chosen card onto his magic zone. "Of course, the second effect of my Magic Sanctuary is that we can use normal magic cards during our opponents turns, provided we set them during our own." he explained. "Now, I'll set one card face down and end my turn."

"Fine with me." Matt shrugged, drawing a card.

"Activate face down cards, Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Mask of the Accursed and Hand Rebirth!" Kai shouted as a blast of wind melted the yellow and green mask and Matt's face became one of confusion as he stared at the other magic card. "I see that you've never heard of this card before. Well, it's actually really simple. We each discard our entire hands and draw new ones of five each."

"Good for you." Matt called with a stupid grin on his face. "You managed to take out both of my remaining Tremendous Fire magic cards." he explained, shoving his two cards into his Graveyard. "One I grabbed with your magic cards help, and the other I drew just now at my turns begining." he chortled softly, drawing five cards. "Anyway, I'll just set two cards face down and end my turn."

"My move." Kai sighed, drawing a card. "I'll sacrifice-"

"Hold it!" Matt cut in. "I activate my trap card, Mask of Restrict!" he shouted as a massive purple mask with fangs appeared, a dark purple aura exuding from it. "This card prevents all players from sacrificing!"

"Fine!" Kai snapped. "I'll summon Gemini Elf (1900/900) in attack mode! And I'll have it attack your Masked Shaman!"

"I'll activate my trap card." Matt interrupted. "My Mask of Kings draws your attacks to my Shield Mask for one turn, which will absorb your attack." he cut in as a golden masque appeared over the large onyx mask, catching the twin elves eyes, who instantly charged the valuable rock, trying to scratch the gold off, but failing to do so. "Also, you have to discard once again, and if it's a monster, you'll lose 300 Life Points to Coffin Seller." he snickered as Kai's Life Points dropped again by six hundred.

Kai-400/Matt-3500

Growling, Kai ended his turn, allowing Matt to continue. "I'll play Pot of Greed!" he called as his hand increased to five. "Now I'll play my Mask of Skulls card." he laughed as a skeleton head latched itself onto both of Kai's elves faces. "By giving you 1000 Life Points, I can destroy one monster on your field, in this case, your Gemini Elf. So sorry." he gave a fake pout as the skulls exploded, destroying the twin girls. "And because you lost a monster, Coffin Seller will take another 300 Life Points."

Kai-1100/Matt-3500

"That ends my turn."

Kai nodded, drawing a card, increasing his hand size to five. "I'll set two cards face down and then I'll summon my Dancing Fairy's (1700/1000) in defense mode." A flower appeared next to Kai's two other magi, which then unfolded, revealing three dancing cherubs. "Finally, I'll set one more card face down and end my turn." "My turn already? Why thank you." Matt jested, a false sense of flattery in his voice. "Alright, I'll summon Masked Shadow (500/200) in attack mode." A creature with large claws and fangs, along with glowing blue eyes peering out from behind a crude mask stared into Kai's eye, a sinister blaze within. "Then I'll activate my last two Hinotama's!"

"Think again!" Kai explained to a shocked Matt. "My face down card was the Ring of Defense magic card, which blocks direct attacks aimed at me." The large disk with four arms extending out of it appeared and began to spin, knocking the balls of flame aside. "Sorry, by I don't really like losing."

"Well, neither do I." Matt grinned. "Only by winning can I achieve my goal." As he said this, Matt began to straiten his posture as if standing tall as a hero before a cheering crowd.

"And what might that be?" Kai asked. "To be the best? To have honor? To have fame?"

"Of course not." Matt chuckled, his voice suddenly changing to a false and weak European accent. "I desire to achieve the title of Duel King, so that I might find a Duel Queen, and together we might rock ze' Casbah."

"You have got to be kidding me." Kai lamented. "Duel Monsters is _not_ a dating service."

"Not to you, maybe." Matt countered, maintaining his false accent. "However, to me, it is all that there is. Soon, I shall find my queen and present to her a bouquet of all the rare cards I win here at Battle City-except for the ones that I want, of course."

"You can't be serious." Kai shook his head. In response, Matt performed a rather rude gesture with his fingers while releasing a few small profanities under his breath. Kai simply stood unphased, his strong and powerful stare continuing.

"Son of a-"

"I'm going now." Kai cut him off before he could complete his insult. "And since it's now my Standby Phase, I gain 1000 Life Points thanks to my Dancing Fairy's effect."

Kai-2100/Matt-3500

"Next, I'll summon my X Head Cannon (1800/1500) in attack mode. Mirage Magician, attack his Masked Shaman!"

"Bad Kai, no cookie!" Matt grinned. "I activate a trap card, the Mask of Perplexity!" he laughed as a dark gas mask leapt from the trap card and latched onto Kai's face, thick lights in the eyes blinding him.

"What on earth..." Kai gasped as he grabbed at his face, trying to remove the covering.

"My trap card blinds you for one turn, forcing you to guess which monster you're attacking." Matt explained. "You ran right into that one. Actually, come to think of it, I've got a pretty funny joke about a blind man. You see, there's this blind guy... "

Matt's voice continued to ramble, but Kai ignored it, trying more soever to focus on the images rushing past his face. An image of a monster, blurred by the light flashed past Kai's line of vision. "Mirage Mage, attack-" he cut himself off. 'I need to focus.' he told himself, trying to relieve some of the panic of the sudden move. 'Alright, I can't afford a rash attack. I haven't even touched Matt yet, while he's managed to get past my monsters over and over again to whittle away my Life Points. I've got to make this the attack that counts.' Staring closely at the field, Kai entered a meditative trance, watching the images that blew past him.

"Mirage Magician, attack that one!" he commanded abruptly as the magi swished his wand, flinging a burst of magic which struck the creature.

"No way! Holy crap!" Matt exclaimed as the attack actually hit his Masked Shaman. "But how...? How the...? You-" he released another string of curses.

Kai-2100/Matt-3400

"When one focuses thoroughly, they can see past illusions and such." Kai responded. "Rather ironic that my_Mirage_Magician was the one to see through it all." Matt began to glare. "Now, X Head Cannot, attack his Masked Shadow!"

"I've still got one more trap!" Matt cut him off. "Mirror Mask, reflect!" he shouted as a mask of glass appeared directly in the path of the lasers which Kai's monster had fired, which then ricochet off towards Kai's field! "This card will send your attack back at one of your monsters, and your Mystical Exorcist is the winner of today's declaration of war. So sorry." The beams struck the black robed mage square in the chest, knocking him back before setting off an explosion of light and dust. However, because it was only a redirected attack, X Head Cannon was not destroyed in the battle which would normally have been a draw. However, Kai had still lost a creature, which then triggered Matt's Coffin Seller.

Kai-1800/Matt-3400

"You know what." Matt seethed, drawing a card. "You're really annoying me. Most opponents, it's takes me only a few magic cards and I win. But you, no. You have to come on in, playing all of these counter moves on me. Well guess what; I'm not gonna take it any more!" he shouted, grabbing at his last three cards. "I'll play Curse of the Masked Beast to sacrifice my Masked Shadow and my Masked Assassin from my hand to summon my Masked Beast (3200/1800)!"

"No way!" Kai shouted. "That's got to be one of the most powerful cards in the game!"

"Say hello to my Masked Beast, A.K.A.: You're Screwed!" Matt once again quipped. "Masked Beast, attack!" The monster lunged towards Kai's field, forcing his thick staff through the stomach of Kai's Mirage Mage. Or, at least that seemed to be his intent. At the last second, the club-like staff punched through what appeared to be an afterimage of the original monster.

"What?" Matt nearly screamed. "How did you? Aw crap." he moaned as the gold robed magician appeared a few feet to the side as the illusion faded.

"I activated my Mirage Magician's special ability." Kai explained, holding up a hand of zero cards, when it should have still held one. "By sacrificing half of my hand, rounded up, I can avoid one attack that you target him with."

"I'll end my turn." Matt breathed as if relieved.

"I'll draw." Kai began, increasing his hand size to one. "And first I'll take 1000 Life Points for my Dancing Fairy's effect!"

Kai-2800/Matt-3400

"I'll switch my X Head Cannon and my Mirage Magician to defense mode, and that ends my turn."

Matt drew his card, took a quick glace at it, and then set it face down, once again rendering him without a hand. "Masked Beast, attack and destroy Dancing Fairy's!" he commanded, resulting in the massive creature lunging forward and smashing the three girls with its staff as Kai's Life Point's dipped a bit due to the Coffin Seller still in effect.

Kai-2500/Matt-3400

Grimacing, Kai reached for his deck, beginning his turn. "I'll draw-" Kai was cut off as Matt's face down card flipped up.

"Goodbye." he smiled idiotically. "I activate my face down trap card; my rarest card, the one you will never play with," Matt dragged it out, as if trying to build suspense. "The one, the only-"

"Oh just play it already." Kai snapped.

"Fine, fine." Matt cursed. "I activate Ring of Destruction!" From the trap card a thick steel ring with multiple explosives attached to it clamped onto Matt's own Masked Beast! "This card will destroy one monster on the field, and both of us will take damage to our Life Points equal to that monsters attack!" Matt laughed, once again performing the obscene finger gesture. "But since I have 3400 Life Points, I'll win. And you, well, you'll lose!" Matt averted his gaze towards the morning sky. "Soon, my lady, I will find you."

The ring finally burst, one grenade at a time, causing the creature to jerk with each explosion. A cloud of smoke rose up, blind the two Duelists.

"Activate magic card!" Kai's voice called above the explosion and smoke. "Dark Magic Revival, to reactivate my Ring of Defense!" The smoke dust began to suddenly clear out as the rotating arms of the ring began to increase in their rotation speed, blowing the veil of powder away. Kai continued to stand tall, staring at Matt's shocked form. "However, my Ring of Defense is now in your Graveyard, as is the one drawback to my Dark Magic Revival card."

Kai-2500/Matt-200

"It seems that the tables have turned, Matt. It's nearly a perfect reflection of our Duel a few turns ago, only now it's in my favor." Matt growled and then spat a few curses towards Kai. "Now I'll summon Y Dragon Head (1500/1600) in defense mode and end my turn."

Matt drew a card and sighed in frustration, passing the turn to Kai, who also passed. The sudden halt to the game brought an unsteady silence upon the battle field. A silence which was beginning to annoy Matt Willard even further as he drew his card, scowled, and passed. Kai, on the other hand, smiled at the face of his newest card.

"I'll set a card face down and switch my Mirage Magician to attack mode, and end my turn." Matt drew, giving him a hand of two, but was cut off before he could go any further. "Go, Dust Tornado!" Kai shouted as a cyclone appeared from underneath the Mask of Restrict, destroying it.

"Alright, time to put this whole annoyance-thing behind us." Matt grinned. "First I'll play the magic card, Mask of Gold, which allows me to draw three more cards, but then I have to discard any traps I draw." he greedily increased his hand to four cards, one of which was dropped into the cemetery. "Now then, it's time for me to take advantage of the service you just rendered me. I mean, I never knew you cared so much about your own destruction as to help me get rid of that one hindrance. I've got one more chance to finish you off. I summon Melkid the Four Faced Beast (1500/1200) in attack mode." he called. What appeared to be four masks which their backs to each other appeared next to the Shield Mask. "And now, I'll sacrifice both monsters to specially summon my Masked Beast Death Guardias (3300/2500)!" A brown skinned figure, standing about ten feet tall appeared. It was armed with five massive claws on each hand, and it's face was composed of three small blue masks. "If you weren't screwed before, you are now!" he chortled. "But first, I'll set one card face down, and then I'll attack your Mirage Magician!"

"I'll activate Mirage Magician's special ability once again." Kai shouted, discarding his one card. The mage created a copy of himself from specs of light all around him, and then the original disappeared. The brown monstrosity lunged forward, ripping his claws through the clone. "Matt, did you think I'd let you destroy him that easily. I may have lost 300 Life Points because I discarded a monster, but it's a lot less than the amount I could have lost."

Kai-2200/Matt-200

"That's fine. I'll just flip over my face down card." Matt explained. "Go, Surprise Attack from the Darkness!" he shouted as his Guardias seemed to be getting ready to launch another attack.

"What are you doing!" Kai demanded.

"This Quick-Play magic card allows me to attack a second time this turn." Matt explained. "And because you don't have any more cards to discard, your Mirage Magician is screwed, in a virtual sense at least." Again the masked creature lunged forward, and this time it's attack connected, costing Kai both the normal damage, and then the Coffin Seller took effect.

Kai-500/Matt-200

"Bow, puny mortal!" Matt shouted in a false, deep voice. "Bow I say!" he began to laugh insanely, just to add effect to his humor. "I am a god, and soon I shall find my goddess, and together, we will rule the world-After we rock the Casbah."

"I think not." Kai continued his fixed gaze, drawing a card. "I summon Z-Metal Tank (1500/1300) in attack mode!" he shouted as a tan machine on tank treads appeared. "Now, X Head Cannon, Y Dragon Head, and Z Metal Tank, combine!" he shouted as first an opening appeared on the back of the tank, which the red dragon landed upon and then latched onto. Next, the blue creature floated into the air above and the bulbous section which was it's abdomen sunk into the red dragon. "Behold, the XYZ Dragon Cannon (2800/2600)!" Matt stared in shock for a second before regaining his stupid grin.

"It may be strong," he pointed out. "But it's still 500 attack points weaker than monster. I will not be denied my love!"

"True." Kai admitted. "However, I still have two cards face down, and so I'll now activate one of them." he smiled. "Go, Card of Sanctity! Now we must each draw until we both have six cards in our hands!" he explained as they both replenished their hands. "Now I'll discard one of the cards I just drew, my Magical Academy in this case, to activate my monsters special ability." Kai slipped the card into his Graveyard. In response, the multiple cannons of the tank creature he commanded began to charge. "Whenever I discard a card from my hand, XYZ Dragon Cannon can destroy one card on your side of the field. " he explained as a flurry of laser fire fell upon Matt's Masked Beast Death Guardias.

"You've activated my Death Guardias' special ability!" Matt shouted. "Whenever eh's destroyed, I can equip the Mask of Remnants to one of your monsters, and take control of it myself." he articulated as a red mask appeared and began to float towards Kai's monster.

"I'll activate my last face down card." Kai shouted. "Spell Shield Type-8 will negate your magic card at not cost to me." he glowed as a blue barrier appeared around the tank, shattering the mask as soon as it came in contact with the field. "So now, Matt, it's over. Goodbye." he said with a small wave. "XYZ Dragon Cannon, wipe him out!" he commanded as another wave of light fell upon Matt, knocking him back several feet.

Kai-500/Matt-0

Kai calmly approached his fallen foe, who had managed to pull himself to his feet. However, before Kai could even speak to request his winnings, Matt had already produced them from his deck/pocket. Kai glanced at the reflective surface of the trap card, as well as the Locator Card, then back at Matt, who was actually smiling.

"You know, I could choose to be angry and bitter towards you for beating me, but's just not worth it. I lost, you won, it's over." He turned on his heel and began to leave. Kai glanced again at the prizes, slipped the one card into his deck and that other into his shirt pocket, and then also turned on his heel and departed. However, he could have sworn he heard from behind him, someone was ranting about how he had found true love, fallowed by a smacking sound, and the same voice crying in pain. Kai simply shook his head.__

_To Be Continued..._

OK, there you all go. Yeah, it was weak, short, rushed, and just overall sucked, but I'll try and make that up to you all. And also, Matt Willard is the property of The Helldragon. Go him!

Anyway, my original cards of this chapter:

Kai- Mirage Magician and Mystical Exorcist

Matt- Mask of Kings, Mask of Gold, Masked Shadow, Mask of Skulls, Masked Assassin, Shield Mask, Masked Curator, and just about every other Mask in there that you didn't recognize. Ok, I gotta go. See ya.


	11. Wrath of the Rare Hunters

OK.......yeah.....so (Puts of magical barrier to block off all bladed weapons and atomic attacks headed in my general direction)........OK, yeah, I know this is really late. First off, I left for vacation the day after I put up chapter ten, then I had to finish painting my room (Which is now done..........I just have to clean it now), then I had writers block for about a month, add in some writers block, having to completely change the angle for this chapter, summer reading, work, school starting with three AP courses, mor work, evil lawyer fathers who don't compromise, the fact that Kevin Hunter is hard to write for (At least for me, as he has a very different personality than what I'm used to) etc, I had a lot of trouble getting this chapter up. Sorry again. Luckily for you all, I'm really excited about chapter's twelve, thirteen, and so forth for a while, so I hope to do better with them. Also, the DOOM Arc has begun here in the U.S. (I can't believe they changed Varon's name to Valon, and gave him that HORRIBLE voice. At least I can stand Dartz and Raphael's voices.), so that may inspire me as well.

Anyway, for the sake of tradition:

Legend Devil (Dark/Devil/6/1500/1800): _Each Standby Phase, raise this monsters attack points by 700._

OK, so here's an interesting card. For a brief history, it first appeared in the Yami Malik/Joey Duel at Battle City.

In truth, it's not that bad. One sacrifice for a monster that's a limitless attack-wise as is Magical Marionet is nothing to scoff at. I mean, sure, first turn it seems like a waste, and turn two he's only standard for a one sacrifice monster. But by turn three, you've got a one sacrifice monster with 2900 attack points. After turn four, not even Injection Fairy Lily can stand against it. You get were I'm going with this?

Any, aside from that, it's a pointless card. Me, I'd run it in a Fiend deck (With a Mystical Tomato for easy summoning), but that's about it.

Rating:3/5 It has as many pros as it does cons. That's all there is to it.

Advertisement for this Chapter goes to Gearfried the Iron Angel. This guy has done one of the most original ideas I know of. You see, he, I, and a bunch of others were all in an online Dueling League that was started by Chuck ZFB. Using the people and decks from that tournament, he has created and AWESOME fantasy story, complete with Duels, fight scenes, possible romance, an real people. I tip my hat to Gearfried (And anyone who can figure out who I am without looking at the reviews and who isn't a member of the DDL). Also, it's fast passed, and if you start now, you don't need a jumbo vat-o-caffeine to get through it. Go and read! I command you!

Anyway, enough time and patience has been wasted. On with the fic!

Chapter Eleven: Wrath of the Rare Hunters

Somewhere within the ruins that were once the prosperous and flourishing Domino City there was a small, abandoned shop. It had once been a store which distributed all sorts of weapons from the ancient and feudal eras of Asia. To this day it housed still a variety of swords, knives, staffs, spears, and more. Of course, they were not really from the long forgotten periods of time that they seemed to be, but were merely tourist bait, and so were not properly made for the sake of mass production. However, this did nothing to disturb their wicked and bloodthirsty appearance.

And so it should come as no surprise that this building now hosted a meeting a equally cutthroat men, all garbed in purple robes, and sitting tensely around a table with a single lamp above them while a few scraps of paper littered the desk.

"These boys, Kevin Hunter and Kai Kaethan, must be dealt with." one said. "Not only do they bother possess a number of rare cards, but now they've gone and dishonored us by defeating Umbrak and Amatsu." To emphasize this, he slammed his fist onto the table.

"I agree with Tray." a second voiced. "If word of this get's out, it could-" but whatever could happen as a result of the two Rare Hunters defeat was never learned, as the door to the shop was kicked open and three figured appeared in the frame, the middle one being supported by the two on either side of him.

"Mishiwaki?!" the third of the men at the table called. The slumped man raised his head at the sound of what was apparently his name. "What happened?"

"I was defeated by my target." the man replied. "When I tried to over power him after my defeat, he struck back with intense speed and strength. Within seconds, that Vaun Hiten had me out cold. I laid in the streets for hours, all the way through the night until Kado and Sora found me this morning." Again, Mishiwaki hung his head as he was dragged into a back room by his supporter, who returned minutes later.

"Tray," the left one, Kado, spoke. "We have a bit of information concerning the boys who we targeted yesterday."

"Tell us then." Tray, who seemed to be the leader, snapped. The two new soldiers took seats within the ring around the table. Sora then began to give out the newfound information.

"Vaun was defeated shortly after he assaulted Mishiwaki by Kai Kaethan." she began. The three original Rare Hunters each raised and eyebrow in intrigue before she continued. "Not only that, but despite his defeat, he seemed to have made a friendship with his adversary, inviting Kai to join him in a reunion after the tournaments end."

"And how do you know this?" the third Rare Hunter asked.

"Because, Kano, Mishiwaki managed to gain consciousness, just not mobility, towards their Duels end."

"Not only that, but Kevin Hunter has had some interesting encounters since his meeting with Umbrak and Amatsu." Kado explained. "First off, he ran into the great-granddaughter of Seto Kaiba, who holds the other two Blue Eyes White Dragons." Tray, Kano, and the third of the original group gasped. "Then, last night, he Dueled a young girl named Sakura Haeru, who nearly beat him."

"What's your point?" Kano snapped.

"Tray, Kano, Katashi, he loves her." Kado explained with a twisted grin. "When he was about to win, he called off his attack for the sake of the fact that she loved her monster. Then, he took her on a date, and all the time that I fallowed him, he seemed absolutely absorbed by her."

Tray leaned back in his chair as Kado finished explaining this, tapping his chin in thought. "You've done well, Kado and Sora. In fact, I think I have a plan." he said, standing up and waltzing over to the wall that his back had been facing. "Kai and Kevin seem rather innocent enough; meaning that they're easily subdued by their emotions and feeling for others." Tray wrapped his fingers around a knife that was hanging from the wall. "So, we'll take advantage of that, and then we'll crush them with ease." he finished, spinning rapidly, hurling the knife across the room, which then embedded itself in a picture of Kevin Hunter. "However, to make sure this works, we'll need to make sure that they're kept busy. Fallow them, and if you must, engage them in a Duel until you receive further instruction." With that, he flung a second knife at the wall, which found a new home in the forehead of Kai Kaethen.

'I wonder where she is.' Kevin pondered within the confines of his mind as he wandered the streets of the city, looking for Sakura Haeru. 'I wanted to fallow up with her on how she felt about last night.' Again, he rubbed the spot on his cheek where she had kissed him. He smiled as he savored the moment.

A few moments later, Kevin noticed a burst of light out of the corner of his eye, which he quickly turned to pull into his full field of vision, resulting in a smile. It was a bust of swirling cherry blossom petals spinning above the rooftops of what were once stores and apartments, meaning Sakura was Dueling not to far from where he was.

Taking off at a sprint, Kevin began to close the distance between himself and where he hoped to find the young lady who currently held his heart. However, as he turned one of the last corners, he was forced toc ome to an abrupt stop, due to the fact that two men in purple robes stood before him.

"Kevin Hunter," one of them croaked, his face displaying a sick and twisted grin, as if he enjoyed the frustrated expression Kevin bore, which he probably did. "Tell me, where are you going in such a hurry. To a Duel, I hope. After all, less than ten hours remain until the Battle City Finals begin, and it would be such a shame if all three of the Blue Eyes White Dragons were not present there."

"What do you want?" Kevin demanded, glancing behind him for an escape route, only to learn that a third Rare Hunter had cut him off.

"Revenge for what you did to Umbrak and Amatsu." the other one spoke. "We will Duel in a special format, and if we win, you'll forfeit you entire Dueling Deck to us."

"And why should I put up my entire deck against just one rare card from you?" he asked.

"Because it will not be just one rare card, but three." the one from behind sneered. "Three of the rarest cards that exist in the archives of the Rare Hunters." At this, Kevin raised an eyebrow of interest.

'Beat these three and get three mega-rare cards.' he began to weigh the positive and negative aspects of this proposition. However, first he had to get one thing cleared up. "What do you mean by 'special format?'"

The first Rare Hunter grinned savagely at this question. "It will be a Gauntlet Match." he explained. "You will start out with 4000 Life Points, while Katashi starts with 1000, Sora with 2000, and then I, Ryo, with 3000. You will not restart your score nor you deck between opponents, and we will each start out with the same number of cards that our predecessor had when they were defeated, _if_ they are defeated."

"So, are you ready?" Katashi asked, shoving his shuffled deck into his Duel Disk. Kevin fallowed suite. However, before he could draw a hand, Katashi tossed him a silicon card, the same size and shape as that of a Duel Monster card, yet Kevin knew better. It was a programming chip, which held the software for the Duel format they'd be using, and would set his Duel Disk appropriately, just like how any computer required the proper disk for running any excess software. Kevin reached to the left-most end of his Duel Disk, where a small compartment, exactly like that of the Field magic card zone o/nly on the opposite end, and slipped the card in, his Duel Disk instantly resetting itself.

Kevin-4000/Katashi-1000

"I'll make the first move." Katashi smiled crudely. "I play one monster in defense mode, fallowed by a single card face down." The two brown backed cards appeared on his field, silently taunting Kevin, begging him to come after them.

And come he would. "I draw!" he shouted. 'Alright, I need to end this quickly so that I can get back to finding Sakura.' he decided quietly. "Alright, first off, I'll summon my Plasma, the Starlight Ryu (1800/1100) in attack mode!" he called as the glowing dragon appeared, spreading its wings and roaring proudly. "Plasma, attack his defense monster!" he commanded as a gold ball of energy gathered in the mouth of the reptilian beast. Quickly it unleashed the blast, which struck the horizontal card, revealing a massive figure made of solid granite kneeling with his arms clutched over his chest protectively.

"You've attacked my Giant Soldier of Stone (1300/2000)!" Katashi laughed. "And because of his superior defensive power, you'll lose 200 Life Points!"

Kevin-3800/Katashi-1000

Grimacing, Kevin ended his turn. Kai would never had let something so insignificant get to him, especially not this early on in the Duel, but then again, Kevin was not Kai.

Katashi drew his card, giving him a hand of five before he set another monster in defense mode and ended his turn.

"I summon Vorse Raider (1900/1200) in attack mode!" he shouted as the brown skinned demon appeared "Plasma, attack his set monster!" Another beam of gold light lanced through the air, striking the set card.

"Reveal Gear Golem the Moving Fortress (800/2200)!" Katashi shouted as a ball inside of two steel ring brackets that were lined with spikes. "And so now you lose another 400 Life Points!" he laughed as the attack canceled out.

Kevin-3400/Katashi-1000

"I'll set a card face down and end my turn." Kevin growled.

Chuckling, Katashi drew a card and held it in his hands, first taking one from the set of cards in his left hand. "I summon Soul Tiger (0/2100) in attack mode!" he called as a wild cat of blue vapor appeared on his field.

'What is he planning?' Kevin asked himself. Katashi simply continued to smirk as he then shifted his other two monsters on the field into attack mode.

"Finally, I'll activate my magic card, Shield and Sword!" he shouted as the magic card activated. "This will switch the defense strength with the attack strength of all monsters on the field, meaning that I know control a monster with 2000 attack points, one with 2100 attack points, and one with 2200 attack points, while you have two simple monsters who possess simple attack strengths of just 1100 and 1200." Kevin stepped back in realization as Katashi raised his hand and pointed accusingly at Kevin. "Attack!" he shouted.

"Reveal trap card!" Kevin shouted. "Diamond Shield will generate a protective barrier around my monsters, blocking your attacks!" he explained as a sapphire blue dome with rugged and crystal edges appeared around his two creatures, blocking the attacks. "Also, the secondary effect of my card allows me to specially summon any of the Jeweled Dragons in my hand, so I choose to summon my Sapphire Dragon (1900/1600)!"

"No!" Katashi shouted in horror as he stared at his monsters who's points were reversing. "Fine, I'll end my turn. I may fall, Kevin, but I've done my part." he snarled, eyeing his three monsters with their low attack points, then to his one face down card, then to his comrades, and finally to the boy who'd completely wipe him out as the boy snapped a card free.

"Sapphire Dragon, Plasma, and Vorse Raider, attack!" Kevin commanded as the three beastly creatures moved in to attack, the two dragons firing beams of light at their targets while the third creature moved in and savagely slashed down with his glaive.

"Before I fall, I shall activate my face down card," Katashi shouted, flinging his arm out in front of him, stretching over his down card. "Reveal trap card, Last Stand! This rare card will deal you 300 points of damage whenever you destroy one of my monsters!"

Kevin-2900/Katashi-0

Without hesitation, Sora stepped up, her Duel Disk already lit up and three cards in her hand. However, it was still Kevin's turn. "Because Katashi's gone, his Last Stand trap card is also gone. So, I'll end my turn there." Nodding, Sora drew a card. Quickly, Kevin examined her eyes closely. They were full of confidence. Either the cards she had drawn were that powerful, or she really had no intention of defeating Kevin. Yes, that was it! She, like Katashi, didn't care about beating Kevin, so long as they could lower his Life Points and make him use up his best cards before Ryo got his chance at Kevin.

"Very well Mr. Hunter. I shall set a card face down, and then summon my Flying Fish (800500) in attack mode!"

"If that's all, then you wont last any longer than Katashi did." Kevin laughed, increasing his hand to a size of five. "Oh well. I summon Newt Warrior (1900/400) in attack mode-"

"Reveal trap card!" Sora screamed as the trap card flipped over and a wall of water blasted forth from it, washing over her single fish monster before colliding with Kevin's four monsters. "Torrential Tribute will destroy all monsters on the field!"

"Crap!" Kevin cursed, setting a card and ending his turn.

"Then I shall play my Lost City of Atlantis field magic card!" she shouted as her field magic zone opened and she tossed the card in. Instantly the ground began to quake as a massive castle appeared behind her and a wave of holographic water collected on the field, but not soaking them, do to the fact that it was simply an illusion. "Now all of my water monsters have their level lowered by one, while also giving them a 200 attack and defense increase." she smiled wickedly. "Now I summon Seven Colored Fish (1800/700) in attack mode!" she shouted as a long fish with rainbow colored scales and a large mouth full of massive teeth appeared. "Attack!"

"Reveal Forced Ejection Machine!" Kevin shouted as a metal dome appeared around the fish and fired it back at Sora's hand, disappearing on contact with her body. "My trap card sent your monster back to your hand, saving me for one turn." Kevin sighed.

"Fine, I'll end my turn." Sora said without even the slightest bit of frustration. It was just as Kevin suspected: she didn't care if she lost, so long as she could take Kevin down in Life Points even slightly.

"Alright, I've got someone to meet up with, so I'll have to end this fast." he commented as he drew a fourth card. "Now I play Reparations, allowing us to each discard up to three cards from our hand and then draw that same number from our decks." Without hesitation, both had placed three cards in the Grave and drawn their new cards. "Now I'll summon my Sangan (1000/600) in defense mode and end my turn."

"I summon Sea Serpent Warrior of Darkness (1800/1500200) in attack mode." she grinned as the monster that normally had 1800 attack points appeared, powered up by the legendary city on the field. "Attack!" The creature raised his spear and lunged down, smashing it into the small fuzzy monster on Kevin's field with ease.

"Now I can search my deck for a monster with 1500 or fewer attack points." Kevin grinned, pulling his deck free. Of course his initial plan involved grabbing one of his Giant Germs to start dealing damage directly to Sora's life points, but then something else caught his eye. 'Surge, the Torrential Ryu...' he pondered. Quickly making his decision, Kevin chose the monster he wanted and added it to his hand before shuffling his deck.

"I summon Big Shield Guardna (100/2600) in defense mode!" Kevin called as the Indian man crouching behind the massive shield appeared. "That ends my turn."

"If you think that playing defensively will do you any good, your wrong." Sora chuckled, choosing form her hand of what was now four cards large. "I summon Catapult Turtle (1000/2000200) in defense mode!" As she said this, a massive amphibian of steel with a large sling mounted on its back appeared. "And now I can sacrifice my Sea Serpent Warrior of Darkness for my Turtle's effect, dealing you half my sacrificed monsters attack points in damage to your Life Points instantly." As she said this, the sea warrior leaped onto the slingshot, which then hurled it in Kevin's direction, going past his monster and hitting him in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

Kevin-1900/Sora-2000

"Alright, lucky shot." he insisted as he drew a card, giving him four from which to choose. "I'll set two cards face down and then I'll summon my Surge, the Torrential Ryu (1500/1500) in defense mode." A blue serpent dragon appeared on Kevin's field as he massaged his sore chest.

"All too easy." Sora commented. "At this rate, we wont even need Ryo." As she said this, the other two Rare Hunters joined her in laughter. "Now because of my Lost City of Atlantis field card, I was allowed to summon my Catapult Turtle without a sacrifice, and now I can summon my Fortress Whale of Darkness (2100/1200200) in attack mode!" she called as another monster, this one a killer whale with massive gun turrets equipped to its back, appeared on her field, again powered up by the field magic card she had played. "First my Whale will destroy your little dragon!" she ordered as the black orca trained all of its guns on the small blue dragon. "Tidal Blast attack!" The various cannons unleashed their wrath upon the dragon, which jolted upon each impact. However, when the smoke cleared, it was still standing. "How?" Sora gasped.

"My monster's special ability." Kevin explained. "It, like a handful of other monsters, is immune to attacks from monsters with more than 1900 attack points."

"Fine, but you'll never stop this! Fortress Whale of Darkness, onto the Catapult!" she shouted in rage. The orca somehow lifted itself onto the turtles back, it's body nearly the same size as the entire launcher. Quickly it was rushing towards Kevin, who then pressed a button on his Duel Disk. "Activate Guard of Card!" he shouted, slipping his one remaining card into his Graveyard. The large shield appeared, taking the blow of the bolt of light that had been the charging monster.

"My turn." Kevin smiled as he looked at the card. "I play Pot of Greed!" he smiled, happily increasing his hand size to two. "Now I'll play my Monster Reborn magic card to revive a monster I discarded for my Reparation's magic card, Hyozanryu (2100/2800)!" he laughed as the diamond coated beast appeared. "Next, I'll switch my Surge, the Torrential Ryu into attack mode!" The blue dragon left it's coiled position and raised it's head, hissing at the defending mechanical turtle.

"Go ahead and try." Sora snorted. "Don't forget, neither of your monsters can get past my defending Catapult Turtle."

"Oh really." Kevin shot back. "I activate my trap card, Graverobber!" he shouted as his last face down card revealed itself as a small elf with various mining tools strapped to his back a single, oversized card held in his arms, which he then flipped over to show. "My trap card can activate any magic card in my opponents Graveyard, and although his field is gone, Katashi's Graveyard is still around." Kevin pointed out as the elf revealed the stolen Shield and Sword card. "Now my dragons have attack strengths of 1500 and 2800 respectively, while your Catapult Turtle only has 1200 defense points." he pointed out. "Surge, move turtles from the Endangered Species list, to the Extinct list!" he jested as the azure beast reared back it's head and released a burst of water that overpowered the now weaker turtle. "Hyozanryu, attack! Crystal Shard Breath!"

The white diamond beast reared back it's head and then released a wind filled with razor diamond shards when ripped the robes of Sora apart, leaving a collapsed figure with various minor cuts along her arms.

Kevin-1900/Sora-0

Quickly, Katashi ran to her and picked her up, seeming far more concerned with moving her away from the battle field than for her own safety, as was evident in his haste. When Kevin's kind yet determined eyes turned back to where Sora had been, Ryo was already in place with a hand of one card, as that was the amount that Sora ended with.

Kevin-1900/Ryo-3000

"Are you done, brat?" he asked with a swift and curt voice. Kevin nodded. "Good." he replied, slipping a new card into his hand. "I shall set one card face down, and then I'll summon a monster in defense mode. Go."

"Fine with me." Kevin shrugged, drawing a second card.

"One second!" Ryo cut him off. "Go Trade Your Left Arm!" As the trap activated, Kevin saw the image of a man whose left arm was chained at the wrist to some sort of support while he reached with his right for a box of gold, and while a shadowed figure in the background with a massive scimitar about to remove the mans shackled limb. "This trap allows me to discard my entire hand to search my deck for any magic card I want and add it to my hand. However, I have no hand to discard, thanks to Sora." he grinned malevolently, discharging his deck and pulling the card he wanted, showing Kevin a Card of Sanctity.

"Anyway, as I was saying, I'll play my Dangerous Machine Type-6!" To Kevin's right side appeared a large metal sphere with six baseball sized orbs making a circle on the face of the ball. "Next, I'll play Baby Dragon (1200/700) in defense mode!" Beside Kevin's other three monsters appeared a young orange dragon monster with bright, childish eyes and young, immature wings. "Hyozanryu, attack!" he commanded, which the Dragon responded to by firing a blast of wind and ice-like shrapnel at the defense monster, which exploded. "Surge, attack him directly!" The blue dragon fired it's attack, which forced Ryo back, but he stayed on his feet.

Kevin-1900/Ryo-1500

Quickly Ryu regained his stance, raising his head and smirking cruelly. "Thank-you, Kevin." he chuckled. "Now I know of your full strength, and," he paused a second to take in the fullness of shock and puzzlement on Kevin's face. "And now I know that you stand no chance against me. Now watch as I set one card face down and then I'll play my magic card, Card of Sanctity!" Both players drew their new hands of six without much comment. "Now I'll summon a monster in defense mode, and end my turn." Ryu chuckled coldly.

Quickly, Kevin snatched a seventh card off of his deck, about half of which was gone, his eye's widening slightly at the sight of the new card. "First off, my Dangerous Machine Type-6 will activate!" The six spheres on the face of the green mechanism began to spin rapidly downward, stopping suddenly, all six displaying a red number '2'. "Alright, that means you have to discard one card from your hand!" Kevin cheered as Ryo unceremoniously placed a card into his Graveyard. "Next, I summon my Tyrant Dragon (2900/2500) by sacrificing my Surge, the Torrential Ryu and Hyozanryu!" he shouted as the great winged beast with brown scales and golden eyes appeared. "Next, I'll set one card face down, and then I'll have my Tyrant Dragon attack!" In a blaze of Hell-fire the likes of which could only come from a creature as incredible as the wyrm Kevin now wielded, the holographic face down card turned to ashes. "That ends my turn."

"Very well, Kevin. Indeed, you've proven that you won't go down quite as easily as I had originally expected;" Ryu smirked. "Yet, it's still not enough. You see, the laws of nature dictate that I defeat you." he chuckled, drawing another card. "The strong shall suffer and fall prey to others while the weak survive, which is why I'll now summon my Igzarian Universe (1800/1900) in attack mode!" he called. His new monster was one of the most bizarre Kevin had ever encountered.

From the Torso down it had the body of a horse. It's upper body, however, was rather humanoid, but the skin seemed to be plated and was an acid green. Finally, its head was almost bird shaped, having a beak-like mouth, but instead of feathers it's head was also plated in scales.

"Next, I'll force the process of evolution to speed up, by playing the magic card, Wild Natures Release!" he laughed as the centaur mutant began to howl into the air. Quickly muscles on its arms began to bloat to more than double their original size, while the size of its lower body began to increase as well. Soon, it completely overpowered Kevin's Tyrant Dragon. "Allow me to explain." Ryu began, noting the obvious fear and shock in Kevin's eyes, as well as the trembling of his legs. "This magic card increases the attack points of all Beast and Beast-Warrior monsters on the field for this turn by their defense value. So now, my Igzarion Universe has an attack power of 3700 for this turn." he laughed. Kevin involuntarily took a step back once again. Indeed, his laughter seemed to drown out the sudden shrieks coming from his own monster, which was now stamping on the ground and flailing uncontrollably at the air.

"Now then, Igzarion Universe, attack his Tyrant Dragon!" Ryo commanded. The beast leapt into the air, staff raised. The dragon fired a burst of fire to ward it off, but it seemed to be in vain, as the creature, in it's sudden berserk state, did not seem to feel the pain of any burns it may have received. With ease, it decapitated Kevin's dragon, which exploded in a shower of light pixels. Upon the destruction of its foe, the beast began to sedate, it's breathing becoming more regular, until it did not breathe at all, and it collapsed, the frenzy having been far too much strain for its body to survive.

Kevin-1100/Ryo-1500

"I activate my face down card," Kevin interjected as his one concealed card flipped over. "Half-Dead will revive one monster in my Graveyard whose level is equal to half that of the destroyed monster!" he explained as Surge, the Torrential Ryu (1500/1500) appeared once again.

"Well, I'll activate a trap of my own." Ryu glared maliciously. "Genocide!" A red beam blasted from the face down card and into Kevin's deck. From said deck appeared an image of his Chaos Emperor Dragon and Blue Eyes White Dragon, both of which howled in agony before disintegrating into nothingness.

"What have you done to my dragons?" Kevin demanded, his voice raising a fraction.

"My trap card destroyed all of the dragon monsters in your deck of the same level as the one I just destroyed. You Tyrant Dragon had eight stars, and so did your Chaos Emperor Dragon and Blue Eyes, so they've all been removed from play." Ryo explained. "Now then, I'll set one card face down and end my turn."

"I draw." Kevin called, increasing his hand to five. "Now, Dangerous Machine Type-6, activate!" Again, the lottery machine whirred to life, spinning the white balls until they came to a stop on the number six. "No!" Kevin shouted as the sphere began to glow until it exploded. "Getting a six destroys itself." he muttered. "How could this have happened?"

"I'll explain it, real simple kid." Ryo smirked. "If you're strong you live; if you're weak, you die. You're too weak to beat me, and so nature has banded against you, working towards your destruction"

"What about that card I discarded from your hand earlier?" Kevin shot back, searching for some basis of argument to retaliate with. "What about that, huh?"

"If you really think that made any difference to someone as powerful as me, you've got another thing coming."

"Yeah, right." Kevin snarled. "I'll end my turn there."

"Alright, then I'll draw, summon a monster in defense mode, and end my turn." Ryo completed his move in a single, simple motion, grinning happily at his monster.

"Whatever that monster is, it won't help you." Kevin called in frustration, pulling a sixth card from his thinning deck. "I'll pass again."

"Very well." Ryo smiled crudely. "Now it is time to show you a true creature of strength. One which will destroy the weak and leave them with nothing."

"There's no card you could play that could do that." Kevin insisted, yet a tone of fear hiding in his voice.

"Really? Let's just wait and see what you think of this." Ryo's low, cold voice seethed as he grabbed the monster card on his Duel Disk. "I'll flip over my Bubonic Vermin (900/600) into attack mode, who then let's me search my deck for a second one and summon it to the field." On Ryo's field appeared to small mice, their fur filled with dirt and their hands hoarding bits of decaying flesh. "Now I'll sacrifice them both to summon my ultimate creature!"

The two rodents simultaneously vanished and a dot of light appeared in their place, quickly growing until it was the size of a very large person. Quickly the light dissipated and left behind a monster which stood on two legs covered in stiff, winery fur. It's torso and chest was wrapped in ancient garments while an Egyptian headdress was set on its hear, which was not human, but resembled that of a dog-beast. Grasped in each arm was a narrow shield which extended into wide bladed spears. "Behold a king of nature. An unstoppable force. The personification of strength!" Ryo shouted into the air while his new monster howled. "Mystic Knight of Jackal (2700/1200)! Now my beast, attack!"

The majestic beast from Hell charged forward and thrust both of its spears into Surge, which put up a blue barrier of ice around it. The shields dug deep, forcing the ice bubble to crack uncontrollably, eventually shattering into thousands of pieces of ice which fell to the ground.

"You forgot about Surge's special ability!" Kevin called as the last pieces of ice fell to the ground, in obscuring both Duelists vision, and allowing both to see that the blue dragon of water had survived. "Your Mystic Knight of Jackal has way more than 1900 attack points. That's why I chose to bring it back rather than any of my other monsters."

"That may be," Ryo agreed, his face once again twisting to that horrid grin he had worn for most of the say. "But you've all out of powerful monsters, Kevin. There's nothing left in your deck that can save you."

"We'll see." Kevin staunchly countered, ignoring the apprehension he felt. He stared at the seventh card he held, sighed, and set the monster in defense mode.

"Defense cannot face you." Ryo chuckled, drawing a third card. "I'll now order my Jackal to attack your new monster." The being which resembled the Egyptian God Anubis bolted up to the horizontal card, his right arm raised. Kevin suddenly felt much smaller, now that he was so close to it. Or maybe it was the fact that the Mystic Knight of Jackal suddenly seemed much bigger. "Attack!" Ryo commanded firmly. The beast swung down with his arm, cutting it in half, the image of a purple dragon with two heads appeared for a second.

"You've activated my Twin-Headed Behemoth's special ability! Now he'll reform-" Kevin stopped myis sentence by Ryo's abrupt laughter and the fact that his Behemoth wasn't returning. "Where's my monster?"

"Tell me, Kevin, are you familiar with the belief of reincarnation?" Ryo ask, his head tilted and a malevolent smirk plastered on his face, one far more devious than any other he had shown all Duel long. His smile widened when Kevin shook his head in response to the question. "It is a belief harbored by the weak. To escape their fears of death, they hold onto a delusion that after death, their spirit goes to a resting place for a period, then it returns to this world in a new body. It is an inescapable, never-ending cycle."

"What's that got to do with my monsters effect getting canceled out?"

"You see," Ryo paused for second. "Every monster my Jackal destroys is sent to the top of your Deck. Therefor, you Twin-Headed Behemoth's effect, which activates from the Graveyard, can't activate. You've trapped in the perpetual cycle of life, death, and reborn!"

"This can't be." Kevin whispered, falling to his knees.

"Yes, that's it Kevin. Fall to your knees. Fulfill your place as a weakling, for it is through you that I shall obtain the first of the three Blue Eyes White Dragons. I shall become stronger because of your defeat."

"It's over." Kevin slurred, reaching for his deck to surrender. However, before his hand reached the small stack of card, a small pick and white petal blew across his vision.

Blinking, Kevin shook his head, and stared at the cherry-blossom petal. He turned his head towards the end of the alley, where he spotted the tree which had released the petal which now rested on his deck.

"Sakura?" he stammered, using the flowers Japanese name without even thinking about it.

_You know Kevin, you're a lot stronger than I had expected you to be." Sakura praised the young American as they both stood along the rail of the Domino Peer, staring into the moon reflecting waters. "I can't believe all of the rare dragon cards you used. I've never faced anyone who used such cards."_

_"They are impressive, I guess." he replied, his voice lacking enthusiasm. "Then again, they do have their limits. Most of the opponents I've faced here in Battle City already knew about them, and managed to target them before I could summon them."_

_"Then you need something they would never expect." Sakura replied, her tone implying that it was common sense._

_"I already have." Kevin smiled, fingering the powerful card combination. One which merged the forces of nature into one._

_"I'd like for you to show it to me some day." she said, nearly bouncing at the idea of it. Kevin couldn't help but grin as he looked at her, realizing how childlike she seemed at times._

"And so the laws of nature have proven themselves unchanging once again." Ryo chortled.

"Even if it is law, I'll prove you wrong about who's weak." At the sound of the voice, Ryo nearly choked on his own laughter. Lowering his gaze to the crouching boy once again, he found that the young man had changed. An intense fire was alight in him. A fire of both determination and hope.

"Prove me wrong?" he leered. "I'd like to see you try. I end my turn."

"Fine with me." Kevin said, almost off-handedly as he casually redrew his Twin-Headed Behemoth. "Fortunately, I already had the cards I needed in my hand. I was just so shaken up by your monster that I completely overlooked them."

Ryo rolled his eyes.

"Mock me all you want, Rare Hunter. In the end, you'll be handing over you Mystic Knight of Jackal, Sora's Torrential Tribute, and whatever Katashi's rarest card may be." This bold statement was challenged not just by Ryo, but by Katashi and Sora as well. Grabbing two cards, Kevin glared fiercely at his three assailants. "First I'll play Silent Doom to revive my Plasma, the Starlight Ryu (1800/1100)!" Instantly, Kevin's white beast appeared, stretching its wings and roaring into the air. "And now, I'll summon the third of the Ryu's, Magma, the Hellfire Ryu (1600/1300)!" Kevin's third creature stood on all four of its legs, it's body being composed of what appeared to be volcanic rock, black rough, hundreds of wire thin cracks of scarlet wrapping its body, while a single horn was protruding forward from directly between it's sapphire eyes.

"Now I'll sacrifice all three of my monsters to summon the ultimate dragon of nature!" The three dragons faded away, becoming spheres of light which began to spin together. "Watch as the light of the stars, the waves of the ocean, and the flames of Hell merge together to create the creature of the end. For after the world is decimated by the forces of light, burned with fire, and then cleansed by water, all that will be left is shadow." As he said this, a mass of black matter appeared between him and Ryu. Slowly it took for, towering over the Mystic Knight of Jackal, with claws and teeth itching to taste blood. Fire began to exude from its mouth with each breath it took. It's black wings seemed to create tempest with each beat. A low growl escaped its lungs as its obsidian arms and neck arched back, stretching in the new space it stood in. "Wraith, the Shadow Ryu (2900/2800)!"

"It may be strong, but not strong enough to defeat me now." Ryo smiled. "For I activate my trap card, Natural Selection, which will create a copy of your dragon that will mortal wound your beast and destroy it at this turns end." However, just as when the two-headed creature did not return to Kevin, now was Ryu untterly perplexed by the fact that his trap card wasn't taking effect.

"Wraith's special ability allows me to discard one card from my hand to negate your trap cards." Kevin explained. "Not only that, not each time a magic card is activated, he gains 300 attack points!" Kevin explained, grabbing at a few of the last five cards in his hand. "First I'll play Premature Burial, paying 800 Life Points to revive my Hyozanryu (2100/2800) (Wraith-3200)."

Kevin-300/Ryo-1500

"Next, I'll play Dragon Nails on Ryu, rasing his attack points by another 600, plus 300 more for his effect." The thick claws of bone began to glow and eerie black and were suddenly replaced by razor sharp gauntlets of black steel (4100). "Now I'll set one card face down, and then I'll have Wraith attack your Mystic Knight of Jackal!"

The black beast reared back its black head, his eyes glowing a fierce blue while black and red fires filled his mouth. Soon it could not hold back the fury that it had created, and it let the surge of Hell dance across the field, leaving not even a soul of the beast, returning it to the pit of its master.

Kevin-300/Ryo-100

"Now, I could end this with my Hyozanryu, but just to show you how weak you are, I'll activate this card, Task Master!" Kevin called as his Quick-Play magic card turned over and a man with a whip appeared. First he cracked the flail down on Kevin's Hyozanryu, destroying it. Next it struck the blackened dragon, which howled into the endless sky, and then began to form a new ball of flames. "By sacrificing a monster with 2000 or more attack points, Task Master allows me to attack a second time with all of my other monsters on the field. So first off, Wraith gains another 300 attack points, rasing him to 4400, but also your field is empty!" Kevin flashed his own smirk towards Ryo, who now possessed a look of fear. "And you were saying I'm weak. You allowed your opponent to clear your field and come at you with a creature far stronger than he really needs." Ryo began to raise him arms to cover his face as the dragons head arched back, signaling that it was ready to attack. "Now, I've got someone to find, so I'm gonna end this now. Go Wraith, Shadow Flame!" The black and red flares struck Ryo directly, knocking him back and depleting his Life Points.

Kevin-300/Ryo-0

Glaring, Kevin approached the Rare Hunters, each of whom extended their hands, and Locator Card and rare card in each. Snatching them out of the sinister fingers, Kevin quickly checked to make sure he got the correct cards.

"Torrential Tribute, Mystic Knight of Jackal, and Kings Ransom." Raising an eyebrow at the last card, Kevin quickly realized that Katashi had not had a chance to raw his rarest card.

Taking one last glance at the Rare Hunters, Kevin snarled one more time, and was about to pivot on his heel when the three dark soldiers began to scream, each clutching their head. For the second time in twenty-four hours, Kevin witnessed the spectacle of souls being extracted. The horror that was fixed to the three people peirced his very being, and for the first time in quite a while, Kevin felt fear and guilt.

"Who could wield such power? And why would anyone play for stakes that cost them their soul?" he asked of himself as the three bodies fell to the earth, seemingly dead. Quickly, Kevin fled, as if trying to outrun the cold sweat that had washed over his entire body.

Vaun Hiten kneeled at the shortened table where the small dish and bottle of sake sat, Despite how much he drank, his young age prevented him from developing much of a tolerance. Closing his eyes, he gently held up the saucer, raised it to his lips, and drank the last few drops he dare take in, lest he lose his ability to fight, for the samurai is always on guard and prepared to defend, as is the code of Zenshin, or awareness, as some would call it. And it was do to this awareness, this Zenshin, that he did not turn about or even open his eyes when the six men stepped up behind hin.

"Vaun Hiten?" one of them asked. Taking the silence of the boy in the blue hakama (The _gi_ worn by fighters from the later Tokugawa Era) as a yes, the two front men reach to grab him.

Swiftly and silently, Vaun's arm reached out to the one on his left, grasping his wrist and twisting, while smashing the Sake dish into the others face. The assailant to the right fell back, clutching his face and twisting about on the ground. Vaun stood, keeping hold of first man, but forcing his victim to fall to his knees do to the way his arm was caught and the pressure point Vaun was abusing.

Two of the mans accomplices charged in to aid him, but instead were tossed back by their comrades body being flung into them. The three quickly scrambled to their feet, the last two standing next to them, ignoring the last one of their group, who was still withering in pain. Instantly, all five men reached into their robes, drawing forth either knives, short clubs, or brass knuckles.

"I see." Vaun replied, stepping back with his left foot so that his right was ahead. He grasped his bokken where the base of the blade would be if it had an sort of guard using his left hand, and gripping the handle with the right. With undaunted focus, he awaited for his attackers to make the first move.

He did not wait long.

The five men charge at the same time, but their own physical limitations promptly separated them, the fastest being in a position to be the first to attack. However, it made not difference to Vaun, who sprung off of his right foot, twisted his sword so that it the edge faced outward while his right foot stepped, and then drawing the wooden blade forward as his right leg touched the earth. The speed of the draw and the momentum of his step both transferred to the blade as Vaun became a storm of wood amidst the men who had tried to attack him. Within seconds, he stood at the other end of the group, sword arm extended directly to the right.

As he stood to his full height, Vaun was unaffected by the thud of bodies falling to the earth. He cast a cold glance at the man who had receive a ceramic dish in his face, who was sitting paralyze and bleeding against a wall, silent and frozen with shock. Vaun shifted his foot towards the man, who then screamed and dived behind the small table. Vaun snorted at the mans cowardice.

Stepping out into the streets, Vaun was suddenly alerted by a feminine near by. Forcing all other thoughts and sounds from his mind, it was easy for him to decide on the general direction from which the shriek had come. Dashing to the other corner of the large building which he had stood next to, Vaun found a group of nearly twenty men advancing on a single young woman.

"Halt!" Vaun shouted, earning one of the mens attention. He turned, his face coming into Vaun's view. And as it did, an air of recognition filled Vaun's features. "You!"

_To Be Continued...._

I know, you're all wondering why I made you wait three months for that piece of crap. Well, at least the plot has been moved along a bit. And also, here's a bit of a preview for next time, just to wet your taste buds:

Kai finds himself locked in a Duel with an opponent who uses the most peculiar strategies. Or does this passive young man have something far more sinister up his sleeve? And what awaits Vaun Hiten? Who is this Rare Hunter from his past? Find out in chapter twelve of 'Return of Battle City: Wandering Souls'.

Original Card:

Kevin- Half Dead, Diamond Shield, Plasma, Surge, Magma, and Wraith, Kings Ransom (Well, it's his now), Task Master

Rare Hunters: Last Stand, Genocide

OK, gotta go. See ya.


	12. The Passive Opponent and the Greatest Th...

So here we are again. I kept on trying to work on this chapter, but then I had the end of the marking period, work, the frustration of knowing that my country is going to directly down to Hell over the next four years, and the fact that my little brother got some games downloaded onto my computer, so now I have to fight him for control of this thing. Anyway, I apologize. Now, before we go on, I have to do the ad and Card of the Chapter.

Go read The Dark Dragon League by Gearfried the Iron Angel. He updates faster than I do, his chapters are a lot easier to fallow, and have some awesome content, like teenagers fusing with their favorite monsters (Who doesn't like reading about a kid who just turning into Reflect Bounder?!). So go I say. Read it in the lapse between reading this and my next chapter!

For our Card of the Chapter, we'll do things a bit differently, and what I mean by that is that I'm going to do a card that has only appeared in the Anime thus far, but that I've decided to do just because I want to:

Treasure of the Guardian Goddess-(Continuous Magic)-_Discard five cards to activate this card, and then draw two from your deck. From now on, you draw one more card during your Draw Phase._

OK, now that's sweet! Ditch five cards to draw TWO each turn! I mean, it's a great card. Sure, it may seem costly at the beginning, but in just a few turns, you'll be off quite well, and then some. Bottom line, one of my favorite cards, and not just because one of the two coolest characters in the show (Raphael) uses it! Let's pray that Konami makes this and others like it into real cards soon, like how they have with Perfect Machine King, which we get later this month.

OK, enough of my babbling, let's get on with it!

Chapter Twelve: The Passive Opponent and the Greatest Threat

'So here I am.' Kai Kaethan thought as his Duel Disk activated. His opponent was a young man, probably around fifteen years of age, with blond hair and blue eyes, the perfect 'Arean'. To top it all off, he was from the Germanic area of Sweden, and so his Japanese, although fluent, was very slurred.

Both boys had been desperate for a Duel, yet neither had been willing to risk more than one Locator Card. However, it all was all the same to Kai.

"I will make the first move." Eric grinned, drawing his sixth card. "I play the magic card Pot of Greed to draw two new cards." he smiled, glancing at the new additions to his hand, smirked, then chose two of the others from his hand. "I'll set one card face down and summon a monster in defense mode. End."

Quickly, Kai drew his first card. "I'll summon my Breaker the Magic Warrior (1600/1000/300) in attack mode!" he shouted as his favorite monster appeared. "And because of his magic counter, he now has 1900 attack points." he explained as Breakers sword began to glow a pale blue.

"I activate my trap card!" Eric shouted. "Jar of Greed allows me to draw one new card from my deck!"

'That seems like a waste of a card and deck space.' Kai commented in his mind. 'What's he planning?'

"Breaker, attack!" The scarlet robed sorcerer raised his sword high as he charged towards the horizontal card on Eric's field, cutting a small rat monster in half.

"You've destroyed my Bubonic Vermin, which allows me to search my deck for another one and place it in defense mode!" Eric cried with joy as another card appeared on the field. "Now I'll play Dragged Down to the Grave, forcing each of us to reveal our hand to the other, then discarding one card from the others hand, and finally drawing a new card to replace it!" Cringing, Kai revealed his hand of five cards: Dark Magician, Rope of Life, Soul Crosswire, Alter of Resurrection, Card of Sanctity. "I'll discard your Alter of Resurrection."

"My turn." Kai scowled, keeping his cool as he shoved the card into his Graveyard. Shrugging, Eric revealed his hand, which consisted of mostly worthless traps and monsters: Jar of Greed, Reckless Greed, Skelangle, Backup Soldiers, Sangan, and Treasure of Grief. "I'll discard your Reckless Greed." he mandated. Eric simply replied and both Duelists drew their new card. However, the broad smile that lit up Eric's face upon seeing his new card did not go unnoticed by Kai.

"Now I'll set one card face down, and then activate my Treasure of Grief magic card! Then I'll set one monster in defense mode, and end my turn."

Slowly, Kai drew a card. 'What's with the guy? Drawing, defending, thinning his deck-' Kai froze mid draw.

"You're trying to summon Exodia!" Kai shouted accusingly. Eric looked up, a bit shocked, yet smiling devilishly.

"Well, I'm not denying it, am I." he responded.

"No, but now I know what I'm up against, and what your strategies will consist of." Kai chuckled. "Now I'll summon my Silent Magician (1000/1000), which I drew thanks to your Dragged Down to the Grave." Kai's new monster was so small and innocent that, when compared to the confident expression Kai had affixed to his face that it was actually laughable! The monster stood about three feet tall, with red and black robes and white hair that was tinted azure, and it held a short wand with a crescent moon at the head.

"I don't know what you're planning." Eric slurred in his Swedish accent. "But it can't save you from the unstoppable Exodia! I activate my second Jar of Greed!"

"You've activated my Silent Magician's special ability!" Kai shouted as Eric drew his card. The small magician began to glow, his form growing slightly as it did. When the light had faded, the same monster remained, and yet it was not the same. It was taller, with a slightly less innocent look on its face. "For each card you draw, my Silent Magician will gain 500 attack points, and grow another level! This is Level One, and the one before was Level Zero!"

"Clever." Eric chuckled. "But it still isn't going to change things."

"You never know." Kai responded, maintaining his nearly stoic expression. "To complete my move, I'll set one card. Now Breaker, attack his face down monster!" The scarlet robed warlock leapt into the air, sword arm raised, making it more than easy to cut through the small rat that appeared. However, just as quickly as it was gone, a new Bubonic Vermin had appeared in defense mode t take it's place. "Silent Magician, attack!" The small child magic user lifted his wand, aimed, and released a small ball of light which blasted the final rodent to pieces. "I end my turn."

"I draw!" Eric smiled again. "I'll set one card face down and then I'll summon another monster in defense mode!" The two brown backed cards appeared in front of the young Swede.

"Don't forget, because you drew a card, my Silent Magician grows to Level Two, and now possesses an attack strength of 2000!" Kai commented as the magician glowed again, growing slightly taller and older, now appearing to be in his pre-teenage years. "Now I'll draw and order my monsters to attack yours!" Kai shouted as both of his spellcasters used their own respective attacks and obliterated the two monsters.

"You've destroyed Skelengal and Sangan, meaning I can draw a new card, and then search my deck for a monster with 1500 or fewer attack points!" he nearly cackled as he acquired the two new cards, boosting his hand up to four cards. "And I've chosen my Right Arm of the Forbidden One!"

'But did he get another piece from Skelangle?' Kai ruminated.

"End turn."

"I'll draw again." Eric grinned. "And yes, I'm aware that your Magician is now Level Three (2500). Now I'll summon Spirit Reaper (300/200) in attack mode!" Eric shouted as a small monster in purple robes, all parts of its body covered and hidden while it carried a gleaming scythe in its hands. "Next I'll play the magic card, Ghost Armor!" As the magic card activated, wisps of thick smoke began to swirl around the messenger of death, making it partially translucent. "This magic card makes the equipped monster immune to batter damage." Eric calmly explained. "Now Spirit Reaper, attack his Breaker now!" Eric commanded. The spirit creature charged the magician swordsman, who slashed down on the monster....

Who did not disappear.

"What's going on, Eric?" Kai demanded. "Your Spirit Reaper should have been destroyed by that attack."

"He should have, but because of his special ability, he's invincible to monster attacks, as well as magic and trap cards." Eric laughed. "And because he battled a monster, but did not destroy it, my Treasure of Grief allows me to draw one card." he said, slipping a sixth card into his hand while Kai's Magician gained another 500 attack points (3000). "And because Ghost Shield protects him from receiving battle damage, I can attack over and over again without fear of losing Life Points, meaning I can draw more and more cards. And finally, I'll set one card face down."

"Tell me, Eric, how many Exodia pieces are in your hand?" Kai inquired. "After all, you seem so confident that I can't beat it, so why not tell me now hopeless it is."

Eric smiled. "Nice try, but I wont reveal that; not yet anyway."

"Fine. I draw!" Kai scowled. "I'll sacrifice Breaker's magic counter to destroy you Ghost Armor, as well as lower his attack points by 300 (1600)!" The sword in Breaker's hand began to vibrate softly as the magical energies it possessed were focused into it's blade, creating a blue glow at the tip. Swiftly, he slashed down, creating a crescent of the magical light, which passed through the Spirit Reaper, pulling in it's wake a force of wind which ripped the vapor from the ghoul. "Next, I'll sacrifice Breaker to summon Chaos Magician (2400/1900)! Attack!" The black robed illusionist aimed his staff at the Spirit Reaper, magic forming at the tip.

"I activate Command Silencer!" Eric shouted, continuing into a tangent in Swedish which Kai couldn't even begin to understand. A totem pole appeared on his field with and eagles face at the head, which emitted an earsplitting shriek. Kai's Magician's both looked around seeming to be confused, the magic fading from their wands. "This card will stop your attacks this turn, and allow me to draw one more card." Eric calmed himself, returning to Japanese Dialogue. "I've now draw exactly half my deck, Kai. The last two pieces will be mine soon!"

"In the mean time, my Silent Magician has grown to Level Five, with an attack power of 3500!" Kai responded as his wizard grew again, now hosting the features of a man, with a stern face, while white hair reached down to his upper legs. "And thank you for revealing to me the fact that you currently have three of the pieces in your hand." he grinned slightly.

"Draw!" Eric shouted, a mischievous smirk on his face. "I play Graceful Charity to draw three cards, at the expense of two!" he quickly snatched the three cards off of his deck and deposited two from his hand. Meanwhile, Kai's Silent Magician had gained a total of 2000 more attack points (5500)! "Now, reveal face down card, Backup Soldier!" Eric called as the trap activated. "This card allows me to retrieve up to five monsters from my Graveyard and place them in my hand." he exclaimed. "Return to me, Right Arm of the Forbidden One and Left Arm of the Forbidden One!" Eric held his fingers over his Graveyard, which promptly ejected the two cards. "One more to go." he cackled.

"One more!" Kai cried. "If that's the way it is to be, then I must destroy his hand, and soon."

"I'm not done yet." Eric cut Kai off. "I'll place one card face down, and then I'll order my Spirit Reaper to attack your Silent Magician!" Again, the announcer of death attacked, and again he passed through the monster he was opposing. "I'll discard my Kuriboh to block the battle damage, draw a card (Silent Magician-6000), and then set it face down." he concluded.

"My move." Grimacing, Kai looked at the card he had drawn. "I may not be able to destroy your Exodia, but your Life Points are still open! Chaos Magician, attack Spirit Reaper!" The black robed conjurer quickly charged his attack and launched it, which exploded on impact with the Reaper, leaving Eric slightly shaken as his Life Points dropped significantly.

Kai-4000/Eric-1900

"Silent Magician, finish him!"

"Activate trap card!" Eric shouted. "Hope Chest will lock my Spirit Reaper into an unbreakable box for one attack, serving as my last hope." he sighed as a wooden box appeared, sucking in the Spirit Reaper and locking shut just before the attack struck, causing the wood to burst and splinter. "And now it's my move!" Eric drew his card and sighed. "I switch Spirit Reaper to defense mode, and then I'll play my Swords of Revealing Light!" Around Kai formed the three almighty swords of pure celestial energy, cutting his monsters off from Eric's. "I end my turn."

"My Silent Magician now has 6500 attack points." Kai pointed out as he drew a card. "And it looks like you're on the run. I'll summon my Mage of the Midnight Star (1700/1300) in attack mode and end my turn." A man in midnight blue robes appeared, brandishing a large staff with a crescent moon and multi-pointed star resting within it on the top.

"I draw my card, raising your Silent Magician's attack points to 7000," Eric growled. "And I'll end my turn, discarding one card to keep my hand at six." he snarled.

"My move." Kai whipped the card from his deck, pleading for the card he needed. Scanning the new card quickly, he grinned widely. "Farewell, Exodia!" Kai called. "Go, Hand Rebirth!"

"It's not possible!" Eric screamed. "I was so close!"

"Regardless of how close you were, discard your hand, and draw five new ones!" Kai countered, watching with satisfactions as his Silent Magician increased by another 2500 attack points, all the way up to 9500! He was unstoppable!

"Now, I'll summon my Mystical Exorcist (1800/1400) in attack mode, and end my turn."

Erik drew his card, raising Silent Magician's attack points to 10000, and thinning his deck down to seven cards! "I have to say that I am thankful to an extent." he slurred. "Now I can summon the greatest beast ever. Exodia may be gone from my hand, but a divine being is never truly gone, so long as his followers have faith in him, and continue to fight for his cause." Kai's eyebrow raise. "I play Tribute to the Doomed on your Silent Magician!" From the ground underneath Kai's monster sprung forth a plethora of Egyptian bandages which wrapped around his magician tightly before pulling it down to Hell. "And to pay for it, I'll ditch this last sacrifice, the Head of Exodia."

"What's your plan, Eric?"

"Let me show you." he responded, pressing a button on his Duel Disk and activating his one face down card.. "I play Pact with Exodia!" he shouted as a pentagram appeared on the field, from which began to emerge something, It was huge, with black skin, and obviously Egyptian. It's eyes were a vicious crimson, and around its arms, legs, and neck were chains smelted in the forges of Hephaestus, or some other godly blacksmith. "Behold, Exodia Necros (1800/0)!"

"What can it do?" Kai wondered. 'If it's a copy of Exodia, but only has 1800 attack points, it must have some sort of devastating effect.

"You'll see, right now." Eric responded. Raising his hand, he gave some sort of command, which Kai could only guess to be an order to attack. However, he was not a scholar in the Germanic tongue. The black demon raised his fist and swung with all his might, crashing it down on Kai's paralyzed Exorcist, who threw several of his charmed slips of paper at it. However, the holy spell did nothing to hinder Exodia, and burned upon making contact with him, while his fist smashed into the priest, crushing him. Yet, Exodia remained, even though it should have also been destroyed.

"I see. You're Exodia can't be destroyed in battle with a monster of the same attack strength as it, am I correct?" Kai asked.

"That's part of it." Eric responded, hiding a small sneer. "However, there's more. My Exodia Necros also gains 500 extra attack points after battling a monster (Exodia-2300), as well as every turn. Now, I set one card face down, and end my turn."

'OK, I don't think he's planning on drawing any more cards faster than he has to.' Kai pondered. 'And his Exodia now has 2300 attack points, and next turn will have 2800, more than my Chaos Magician can handle. I need to counterattack, and now!'

"I draw, and I will play my Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Swords of Revealing Light. Now, Chaos Magician, attack!" The black robed magician held his staff at waist level, firing a ball of yellow light.

"Activate face down card!" the Swede responded. "Time Jump will instantly make three turns pass by, giving me an extra 1500 attack points (Exodia-3800)!" The mighty beast raised his arm ans swatted the ball of light aside. "Now, Exodia Necros, attack him back!"

"Activate trap card, Mechanical Magic Mirror!" Kai shouted as the trap activated and the wire figure of mirrors appeared, an image of a totem pole with a speaker at the top appeared as sonic rings erupted from the mirrors, overlapping on each other and halting the attack. "My trap card allowed me to activate your Command Silencer, stopping your attack, and allowing me to draw one card." Kai breathed a low sigh and continued. "I'll switch my Chaos Magician to defense mode, set one card face down, and end my turn."

"I'll draw, and now my Exodia Necros has gained another 500 attack points (4300). Exodia Necros, attack and destroy his magician." With ease, the black fist crashed down, smothering the black-robed sage and destroying him, and raising Exodia's attack points again (4800).

"I'll draw and activate my face down card, Dark Magic Curtain!" The face down card flipped over to reveal a skeleton archway with a drape hung from it, which quickly parted to allow the purple robed sage to enter. "By paying half of my Life Points, I can specially summon my Dark Magician (2500/2100) in attack mode!"

Kai-2000/Erik-1900

"You're Exodia Necros may be immune to monsters, but how does he feel about magic cards." Kai grinned slightly. "I play the magic card, Thousand Knives, which will allow me to instantly destroy one monster on your side of the field!" he shouted as an array of decorated daggers appeared, which were thrust forward by a wave of the Dark Magician's wand. The blades closed in on the black fiend which was Exodia, but shattered on impact, the pieces falling harmlessly to the ground.

"You can't destroy him, no matter what you target him with!" Eric shouted back, a few Swedish words slipping out as he did so.

"Target..." Kai muttered under his breath. "Alright, how's about a card that doesn't target, like my Dark Hole!" Above the field came the swirling vortex of nothingness that sucked in the Dark Magician and the Spirit Reaper, yet the Exodia seemed completely unphased thy any of this.

"He can't be destroyed!" Eric screamed. "Why don't you get it?"

"Every card has its weakness, and I'll keep on trying until I find Exodia's!" Kai responded. "I'll set two cards face down, and end my turn."

"Now that you have no monsters left, I'll attack and finish you off!" Eric called, drawing a fourth card while his Exodia gained another 500 attack points (5300). "Exodia, attack!"

"Reveal trap card, Revival of Dark Magic!" Kai shouted as the trap card flipped over. "This rare trap card will revive one magician in my Graveyard for one turn." Kai explained as his Dark Magician returned to the field.

"You'll still lose!" Eric continued.

"You're wrong," Kai declared. "I also activate the trap card, Magician's Ordination!" the other trap card flipped over, and a burst of light halted the black demons charge. "Your attack is negated and I get to draw one card!"

"Fine, I end my turn." Eric sighed as Kai's Magician disappeared.

"You're running out of time, Eric." Kai commented, noting the four cards which remained in Erik's deck. "Soon you'll deck out."

"You're the one who's wrong." Eric responded. "I'll have you beat within these next four turns."

"We'll see." Kai replied, drawing from his few remaining cards. "I summon Illusionist of the Midnight Star (1500/1800) in attack mode!" Kai's new monster was a young woman in dark blue robes with streaks of silver running randomly through them. "Then I'll play my Gathering of Magic card, which allows me to place any magic or trap card from my deck into my hand for the cost of 500 Life Points."

Kai-1500/Eric-1900

Swiftly, Kai had pulled the desired card from his deck and set it face down on the field, leaving him without any cards in his hand, and a rather weak monster on the field. Grinning, Eric drew his card, leaving himself with a deck of three. "If you think a bluff like this will scare me and Exodia, you're wrong. You want me to not attack this turn, and that's why you're giving me that look. However, no Duelist would ever pay one-quarter their total life points to set down a card to block my path with, and if you're planning on destroying my Exodia Necros with your trap, you know it's futile. He can't be effected! And now he gains 500 more attack points (5800)!" Howling, the black juggernaut clenched his fist, which began to glow a fiery gold. "Exodia Necros, attack and finish him off!"

"Activate trap card!" Kai shouted as the monolith of an arm drew closer.

"Don't tell me you actually wasted your Life Points to do what your monster could have done had it been in defense mode!" Eric laughed.

"There's no way my Illusionist of the Midnight Star could have done what I'm going to do now!" Kai shouted. "For I am going to destroy Exodia with my trap card, and you can't stop it!" The first froze inches away from the young girl magician, who didn't flinch, although her cape did flap about for a second. "I activate Reversed Worlds!"

The trap card revealed two skeletons lying parallel to each other, their bodies facing opposite directions. "In exchange for 1000 of my Life Pints, I can flip our decks with our Graveyards!"

Kai-500/Eric-1900

"Now you no longer have the five pieces of Exodia in your Graveyard, so now your Exodia Necros can't remain on the field!" True to Kai's word, the black Exodia began to crumble to dust, it's body falling into large pieces, which would dissolve the instant they hit the earth. "And now, it's my move." Kai explained, drawing from his newly refilled deck. "And I'll play the magic card, Alter of Resurrection! This magic card allows me to draw two more cards, and then activate another from my Graveyard." In one motion, Kai had drawn the two new cards from his deck, and also slipped one from his Graveyard into his magic zone. "I'll activate my Lost Text magic card, which allows me to sacrifice my one spellcaster and special summon a new, more powerful one in its place in attack mode!"

For a third time in that match, the Dark Magician appeared, glaring at Erik, the young man who had commanded his execution earlier, while at the same time, looking at the withering Illusionist of the Midnight Star, which was fading away.

"Now Dark Magician, attack his Life Points directly!" The man obeyed, and with a quick wave of his stave, he had released the final wave of magic, which assailed Eric and depleted his Life Points.

Kai-500/Eric-0

Breathing deeply, Kai shut off his Duel Disk and shuffled his cards, looking up only when the Swedish youth was directly in front of him, Kai's prizes gripped in his hand.

"Here, my Locator Card and Swords of Revealing Light." he said, handing them to Kai, who pocketed the silicon card and flipped the magic card on top of his deck. Bowing in thanks, Kai turned, and retreaded in his usually stoic manner. "Thank you." he heard Eric call after him. "Thank you for showing me that there are ways of overcoming what seems to be invincible. Thank you for showing me true power." he finished, and then muttered a short phrase in Swedish before he himself departed.

_To Be Continued...._

And there you have it. Sorry again that I made you wait so long for that. Also, do note, that this chapter, the next, and possibly the one after that, all take place around the same time as Kevin's Duel with the Rare Hunters, meaning you're gonna have to wait a bit to learn Vaun's secret! MUAHAHAHA! See ya.

Original Cards:

Magicians Ordination, Soul Crosswire, Ghost Armor, Hope Chest, Mystical Exorcist, Illusionist of the Midnight Star, Gathering of Magic, Lost Text


	13. Victory on the Wings of Myth

I LIVE! Yes, like the lost phoenix, I rise again from the ashes of lost computer memory! You see, I got started on this chapter a long time ago, but then I had all seven of my siblings at home for the holidays, and so I took a break. However, when I got back to my comp, something had happened and all my files were gone, and I had to crash hard drive. Then I spent a while restoring my list of original cards, which has taken some time. But I'm back, and feeling seriously inspired. So, let's go!

Advertisement: Seeker of the Soul, formerly known as thegymrat, has outdone himself once again with Shadowed Light of My Heart, sequel to What Was, What Is, and What Shall Be. The story does nothing but get better, and it's sad to think that it may end within the next ten to fifteen chapters. However, there's another sequel already in the works, so we need not fear! Go read it! Awesome Duels, incredible original cards, and a plot ten times more original than I could hope to produce.

Card of the Chapter:

Energy Reflector (Quick-Play Magic) Sacrifice 1 Monster on your Field and activate. The next attack by a Monster during the activated turn becomes a direct attack.

OK, so here we have another Anime card. Energy Reflector is pretty simple and yet so awesome! Sacrifice one of those weak monsters you don't have a use for anymore, or a token, or something else worthless, and attack directly. That's just cool! This could be the ultimate weapon in a burn deck. Get this going with a monster with a good number of attack points, and -BAM- blow up your opponent in one fell swipe. Not really a whole lot more to say about it.

Now, on with the chapter:

Chapter Thirteen: Victory on the Wings of Myth

Kai made his way around another corner in the streets of Domino. Nearly a whole hour had transpired since his Duel with Eric, and yet, somehow he felt refreshed already, despite the beating his body had taken. Glancing down at his Duel Disk, he was reminded of the fact that he still needed two Locator Cards if he was going to reach the ten he needed to enter the Battle City Finals.

Kai was snapped from these thoughts by a shrill scream nearby. On instinct, he bolted in the general direction of the shriek.

He came to a stop a block later, finding a man in a black sweater and jeans towering over a young woman about Kai's age, who was curled up on the ground.

"Listen, you stupid whore, just give me your Locator Cards and any rare cards you've got!" he shouted at her, raising his hand to smack her.

"But...But I won the Duel." she stammered. Not pleased by her response, the mans arm came down to strike, but was stopped by another hand tightly clenching his wrist. Looking up in surprise, he found himself staring into a set of multi-colored eyes.

"Who're you?"

"That doesn't matter." Kai responded, using the leverage he had over the man to throw him off of the girl. "What does matter is that I don't like men who abuse women because they feel superior. If you truly want her Locator Cards, then Duel me. I'll put up all eight of mine, plus every card I have on me, including..." Kai stopped himself and reached into his pack, retrieving a small black box, about the size of a deck. "This puzzle box, which holds the rarest cards my parents owned. And trust me, some of these cards are more rare than you could hope to imagine." At this declaration, the man in the sweater smirked, a foul glint in his eyes. Jumping back, he activated his Duel Disk.

"Fine kid. But understand, if you don't deliver after I crush you, you'll pay." Kai nodded and activated his own Duel Disk. "I'll even be a nice guy and let you go first, since you're putting so much on the line, I think you'll need all the preparation time you can get."

Kai-4000/Man-4000

"Very well" Kai responded, drawing six cards. "I summon Guardian of the Archives (1000/2200) in defense mode." A figure in scarlet robes and wielding an ebony staff appeared, chanting softly to generate a translucent barrier around himself. "I'll also set two cards face down and then I'll end my turn."

"Not bad kid, but not good enough. I play the magic card, Lightspeed Summoning, which allows me to special summon a second monster every turn, so long as I pay 500 Life Points during each of my end phases. So I summon Thunder Soldier (1600/1300) and then I'll sacrifice him for my Thunder Emperor, Zaborg (2400/1000), who will instantly destroy your monster when summoned!" First a man in silver armor with curled blades of electricity over his knuckles appeared, and was then promptly replaced by a large figure in white and gold armor with multiple rods on his back. Said rods then began to charge up electricity, which lanced through the air at Kai's guardian.

"I think not!" Kai declared, waving his hand to the side as one of his two face down cards flipped over. "I activate Spell Flash, which will instantly end the turn in which you target one of my magicians with a monster!" The man growled, but quickly regained his composure and relinquished his turn to Kai and also paying the cost for his Lightspeed Summoning card.

Kai-4000/Man-3500

"I summon Envoy of the Archives (1800/1900) in attack mode!" A figure in blue robes appeared, brandishing an iron staff with a curved blade at the end. "And now that the Envoy and Guardian are together on the field, I may summon the Master of the Archives (1900/1200) from my deck!" A third figure, this one in platinum robes and wielding a golden staff with a crescent moon blade at the head appeared. "Now I will gain 100 Life Points times the number of cards in my Graveyard. True, that's only one card, but it doesn't matter, because you wont even touch my Life Points!"

Kai-4100/Man-3500

"Punk," the man grumbled. "I summon Spark Soldier (1500/1000) and Lightning Drillman (1700/1400)!" A soldier in gold armor and a whip of electricity, and other in blue with a spiral of lighting for a right hand. "Now I'll play my Raigeki to destroy all of your monsters!" A bolt of lightning descended from the sky and consumed all three of Kai's monsters. However, when the flash was gone, all three magicians were still intact, all drawn together under the protective shield of the Guardian of the Archives. "But how?"

"My Guardian of the Archives protects all of my cards from your magic and trap cards, so your magic attack was fruitless." Kai explained.

"Fine, I'll set this card face down, and then I'll have my Zaborg attack your Envoy!" Again, the behemoth charged a bolt of electricity within its lightning rods, which it then directed at Kai's monsters.

"I activate my other face down card, Prismatic Reflection Seal!" Kai shouted as his quick-play magic card activated and barrier of irregularly shaped crystals appeared, absorbing the attack into it, which then his the mirror backing of the shield, causing the attack to reflect onto another surface, which reflected it inward again, where it was deflected again continuously until the on blast of lighting had become man smaller blasts. Finally, the concentration of energy became too much, and the blast suddenly exploded from the barrier in the form of many thin beams of light which struck and destroyed every card on the mans field, burning dozens of holes into each card before destroying them. "This card activates when you attack, negates your attack, and destroys all of your face up cards, and costs me 500 Life Points when the effect resolves!"

Kai-3600/Man-3500

"I'll set this card and end my turn." the man grumbled, setting his final card face down.

"And now it ends." Kai commented, drawing a fourth card. "I play Magical Interest, which forces me to discard the three cards in my hand and then draw two for each card I discarded!" he explained, slipping the cards into his Graveyard, and then drawing six new ones. "I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your set card!" he called as a spiral of wind lashed out and destroyed the one card on the mans field. "Next I'll switch my Guardian of the Archives to attack mode! Then I'll play Polymerization to fuse my Sonic Magician (1600/1800) with my Shockwave Magician (1900/1100) to create Transonic Magician (2500/2500)!" A man in black robes with white symbols all over him appeared. "Then I'll summon Quasar Magician (1800/1500) in attack mode!" A fifth magician appeared, this one in bright neon robes. "Now my magicians, attack his Life Points directly!" All five sorcerers crossed their staffs together, forming a single point of light which flashed multiple colors. Finally, they released the attack in the form of a torrential stream of power which blasted the man onto his back, scattering his cards across the street.

Shaking, the man came to his feet. Then, in a sudden fit of rage, he charged Kai! With ease, Kai sidestepped the attack, but was caught off guard by the mans swift pivot, bringing his fist to meet Kai in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Rolling to the left, Kai managed to avoid the mans stomp, and then managed to knock him off of his feet with a quick sweep attack, bringing his chin crashing against the concrete earth.

Kai was on his feet as quickly as he could, but was again surprised by his opponent tackling him to the earth, grabbing him by the throat and beginning to tighten his grip. Gasping for air, Kai tried to pry the older mans fingers off, but to no avail. Coughing and choking, Kai's breathes became weaker and weaker as he floundered under the man. In fact, he was nearly about to give in to death when a distinct sound reached his ears.

It was crying.

Twisting his head to the side slightly, Kai caught sight of the young woman this man had attacked. 'That's right. If I don't stop this guy, then others will suffer because of it. I failed my parents, I wont fail anyone else!'

Filled with new resolve, Kai's eyes snapped open, full of vigor, and a distinct fire burning within them. The girl looked up from his tears in awe as their attacker suddenly was the one gasping for air. He quickly released Kai's throat to reach for his own, all the while hacking and coughing, thrashing about where he stood. Then his eyes filled with fear as he saw Kai rise to his feet, a small aura of gold light all around him.

"Go away." Kai calmly stated, raising the Millennium Rod from behind his back. Struck to a new level of terror, the man nodded his head, eyes as wide as the possibly could. In a mad panic, still gasping for air, he bolted out of the area, finally regaining the ability to breath as he turned the corner, which was immediately followed by a scream.

Turning to face the girl he had rescued, Kai extended his hand, which she accepted. She then placed in his palm a small black box-the black puzzle box he had tempted the man with.

"You dropped this when he knocked you down." she explained.

"Are you alright?" Kai asked. She nodded, and then added a most unusual response to his question: she kissed him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You!" Vaun shouted. "How dare you return!"

The man smirked and turned so that his full body was facing the boy samurai. His entire body was covered in the purple robes of a Rare Hunter, and his features were for the most part hidden. However, that cold smirk and the scar all along his left cheek was unmistakable to Vaun.

"Well, Vaun, it's been some time. I haven't seen you since the incident at the temple all those years ago."

"You lost then, and you'll lose now!" Vaun shouted, bringing his bokken into an attack stance.

"Oh, so you think you can finish was your parents and master could not?" the Rare Hunter chuckled, drawing a full length katana from within the folds of his robes. "I had hoped I'd meet you here in Battle City; I've been carrying this blade with me for just such an occasion. Now, come at me!"

Both fighters charged each other, weapons raised. They met in a flurry of lightning fast strikes, parrying each others blade, but never locking together. Sliding to a halt after being pushed back, Vaun tightened his grip and held his blade erect, waiting patiently for his opponent to move in.

Again, the Rare Hunter charged, this time his blade held to the side of his face with the tip facing forward-a thrusting stance. Pivoting on his front foot, Vaun dodged to the left. However, this move was expected, and his foe moved directly from the thrust to a right-handed sweep, which Vaun blocked by pressing his left forearm against the back of his sword.

"You're better than I remember, Takamori Mudo." Vaun admitted. "However, if you think that you can beat me with the same fighting techniques my ancestors created, then you're sadly mistaken!" And with that, he used his elbow to push his blade in a downward arc, catching Mudo's sword between the ground and his wooden edge. Then, with a quick thrust of his upper body, Vaun smashed his hilt into his enemies chin, knocking him into the air a few inches and back a few feet.

"Who are you to judge me?" Takamori challenged. "You never actually fought with me, only watched as I killed your parents and then the followers of the temple which took you in. However, today, I, Takamori Mudo, shall end the Hiten line, and with it, the bloodline of Hagime Saito and Okita Seta, the leaders of the Shinsengumi's third and first squadrons!"

"You fool!" Vaun shouted, charging in again, this time thrusting directly at Takamori's chest, only to have the attack pushed to the side, but managed to spin to avoid the counter slash. Using the momentum of his spin, Vaun managed to land a lightning fast strike to the larger mans back, doubling him over. "Don't you dare utter their names! Your family betrayed the Shogunate and the Shinsengumi!"

Vaun then found himself pressed down under the weight of his rival, who had, in the time of one second, risen to his full body length and swung upward, and then brought his metal sword crashing down on Vaun, who had barely managed to raise his wooden sword in defense. However, as the two warriors struggled, Vaun noticed the hairline cracks forming at the point of impact on his sword, about one foot from the base of the hilt. Springing from his legs, Vaun managed to throw the other man off of him, and then followed up with a slash directly down, which was cleanly blocked, causing another series of cracks to form closer to the tip, but quickly connecting to the first set of cracks.

"You're sword is weakening, samurai boy. Soon, you're weapon will be gone and you dead." Takamori taunted, slashing again, this time causing fragments of wood to splinter off and dart throughout the air. However, despite the force of the blow and the destruction of the bokken, his sword remained frozen at the point of impact, and was this time met with a metallic clang. "What?"

"I'm no fool, Mudo." Vaun responded, throwing the older man off, raising his own steel blade up to his eye level, and brushing off the last few inches of wood which had not been broken off. "These consealble swords may not be a sturdy as a normal katana, but they are less suspicious, and less dangerous, unless I need them to be otherwise."

"Very clever." Mudo consented. "However, you'll still die, and the war between our families will end. After three hundred years, I shall prove victorious!"

"No," Vaun challenged. "You will be dead." Again, he slashed, this time coming from bellow, but was blocked. However, without hesitation, he used the opposing force of the block to circle back down, up, and then cutting down, completing the circle, and drawing first blood as he caught his opponents right cheek. Sadly, there was no time for celebration, as the now enraged Rare Hunter attacked with a series of rapid slashes, each one blocked, but each time causing his opponents body to shake with the force.

"Die!" Takamori screamed, using a two-hand hold to bring his sword strait down on his opponent, who held his blade out horizontal to block the attack. The swords clanged as they met, followed by a snapping sound as the steel of Vaun's thin sword snapped, fillings of alloy striking his cheek and cutting into his flesh while the one foot of his sword which held the tip dropped to the ground.

Caught by surprise at the force of the blow, Vaun was easily knocked back a foot by a short kick to his ribs, followed by a spin which landed the hilt of the full-fledged katana in his cheek. Dropping what remained of his sword, Vaun gripped his side and rolled to avoid being split in two.

"It's hopeless for you now!" Mudo called as he was dodged yet again, Vaun this time coming to his feet via a kip-up, which he followed with a duck and roll under the next attack-a horizontal slash. The two stood about ten feet away from each other, one with a look of malice in his eyes and a sword of death in his grip the other with no such sword, but a jaw set with determination and honor.

Mudo charged.

Vaun raised his right arm behind his torso, and then snapped his elbow out, flinging the object he had retrieved from the ground at his would-be killer.

Mudo froze, the twelve inches of steel seeping into his left shoulder. The twelve inch fragment of Vaun's sword which he had broken off! Vaun had retrieved it when he rolled, and now he had seriously wounded Takamori!

"Well played Vaun. Now here we are. You without a weapon, and me with a wounded arm." he chuckled coldly. "However, your attempts to be a hero failed. We have the girl. My men escaped with her while you and I did battle." To emphasize this point, he waved his arm at the now nearly vacant alley, in which stood only the two combatants. "We will have to do battle again, and soon. Find Kaethan, and bring him with you. My men and I will be waiting for you both." And with that, he turned and fled. Of course, Vaun gave chase, but the prey had too much of a head start, and once he reached the end of the alley, a truck had come by and retrieved the man in purple robes.

"No!" Vaun shouted, dropping to his knees and pounding his fists on the ground. "I nearly had him! Vengeance which has been due for nearly three hundred years, and I let it escape me!" His tears of frustration fell to the earth, mixing with the drops of blood which fell from his cheeks. "Takamori Mudo, you will die! I swore this seven years ago, and today, I fulfill my vow!" Rising to his feet, he departed. He had preparations to make.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Quickly, Kai broke the kiss, breathing in deeply, a look of shock and horror upon his face. The girl looked back at him, surprise and possible hurt in her eyes. True, Kai appreciated her thanks, but this was not what he expected, nor wanted. He had never been kissed before-had never had feelings for another of that sort. Now, suddenly, he had received his first kiss without his consent, and from a person he didn't even know the name of.

All of these thoughts rushed through the introverted duelists mind, and he found himself, for the first time in years, in an emotional stupor. He was befuddled by the single actions of a stranger, and it was making him extremely flustered.

"Why'd you do that?" she asked, obviously oblivious to Kai's intentions. "I thought we had a good thing going." Kai continued to stare, thunderstruck. "You...You think I'm ugly, don't you!" she screamed, tears forming in her eyes. Apparently, she had been traumatized by the experience of a few moments ago, and her rationality was gone.

"No, it's just, I've never kissed anyone before." Kai began, trying to re-master himself. "I mean, I don't believe my actions deserved such a reward."

"Liar!" she shouted back.

"Calm down, please." he pleaded. "I meant no offense."

"Don't toy with me!" she countered.

"Listen to me!" he raised his voice. "I risked everything I have for you. I didn't know you, and I expected nothing from you. I did it because it was right. If you truly think I was trying to take advantage of you, please reconsider. I am willing to forget this ever happened, and go my way, if you are willing to allow me."

"You're not going anywhere until you Duel me!" she shouted. "And after I beat you, you'll apologize, and give me all of your Locator Cards!" She raised her arm and her Duel Disk clicked into place, deck already set. Resigning himself to resolve what he had unwillingly begun, Kai nodded and activated his own Duel Disk.

Kai-4000/Girl-4000

"I go first!" she declared, drawing six cards. "And I'll summon a monster in defense mode, and set a card face down!"

"I'll also summon a monster in defense mode, and then I'll set two cards face down. End turn." The three cards appeared before Kai's field, a sturdy barrier against any attack she might throw against him.

"I sacrifice my face down Harpie Girl (500/500) for Berfomet (1400/1800) in attack mode!" First a small girl with a cute face and long blonde hair in an _exceptionally_ revealing outfit (so much so that Kai turned away) and small pink wings appeared for a second before being replaced by a large red beast with four arms and curled golden horns. "And when I summon my Berfomet, I may instantly summon my Gazelle, King of Mythical Beasts (1500/1200) in attack mode!" A lion beast with a single horn appeared, hunching back in a stance of wait. "Next I'll play my Polymerization to fuse them together to create Chimera, the Flying Mythical Beast (2100/1800) in attack mode!" The two animal creatures were pulled into a twisting vortex, and reemerged as a single creature, lion-like in body, but it hosted two heads, each hosting horns. Stretching out of its back were two magnificent wings, and it's tail ended in the form of a vipers head. "Chimera, attack his monster!" The creature charged forward, ramming Kai's monster with it's three horns. What appeared was a young man in black robes with a black graduation cap on his head.

"You've destroyed my Learned Magister (400/500)." Kai explained, pulling his deck free. "His special ability allows me to take any level two or lower magician in my deck, and summon it to the field face down!" He slapped the new card onto his Duel Disk, and his field returned to the state it had been in seconds before.

"Fine, I'll set another card face down, and end my turn." the girl answered. "Soon, the winged creatures of Amber Mirthra will destroy you!"

"Amber, I wont lose." Kai declared, his eyes remaining cold and honest as ever. "I will pass this turn, so it's back to you."

"You're not so tough." she scoffed, glancing casually at her new card. "I summon Selene, the Silver Unicorn (1800/1200) in attack mode!" A silver stallion beast with a single horn and silver skin appeared, trotting around it's mistress. "Selene, attack his monster!" The silver creature galloped across the field, spearing the card with its horn, which revealed itself to be a man in white, who exploded, and was replaced by another horizontal card.

"I don't need to go on the attack to be 'tough'." Kai expounded. "The monster you just destroyed was my Immortal Magister (700/1000), who let me summon another Immortal Magister to the field, and also to draw a new card." he explained, adding a fifth card to his hand.

"Fine, Chimera, attacks now!" The hybrid beast flapped its wings and took flight, coming straight down on Kai's second Magister, who exploded before being replaced by the third from his deck, and a sixth card was added to his hand.

"Careful." Kai stated. "You're just giving me more monsters and cards to work with. So now, I'll summon another monster in defense mode, and end my turn."

"Don't tell me how to Duel!" Amber curtly responded. "I summon Penumbra Pegasus (1900/1100) in attack mode!" Her newest monster was another silver haired steed, this one having no horn, but it was equipped with two magnificent wings. "Selene, attack his last Immortal Magister!" she commanded. The unicorn once again rammed its horn through a white robed man, and Kai drew a card once again.

"Now that I have three Immortal Magisters in my Graveyard, they are instantly shuffled into my deck." Kai explained as he moved the three monsters from his Graveyard from his Graveyard to his deck and shuffled.

"Chimera, attack his face down monster!" The cat creature rushed across the field again, this time ramming through a man in gold robes. Instantly, Chimera exploded, and then Amber's other two monsters began to struggle with some unseen force, until they were both pulled to the ground in low crouches. "What's going on?"

"You just activated a flip effect monster of mine." Kai explained, turning the monster card around to show her. "My Mysterious Magister (300/300) instantly destroys one monster on your field and then changes the battle position of all other monsters you control for one turn."

"You've saved yourself for now." she growled, looking over her remaining three cards. "However, by destroying Chimera, you allow me to special summon one of its parts to the field, so I'll summon Berfoment (1400/1800) in defense mode. Go."

"As you wish." Kai responded, pulling a seventh card free. "Go Skilled Light Magician (1900/1700) in attack mode!" A man in white robes with a short staff appeared. "Then I'll play the magic card, Gathering of Magics, and then I'll choose the effect which allows me to paying 1000 Life Points to special summon two spellcasters from my deck to the field, so meet my Guardian of the Archives (1000/2200) in defense mode, and my Gravity Mage (1800/0) in attack mode!" The first monster to appear was the scarlet robed magician in his crouch, staff held up as a lasting barrier between it and its attackers. The second was a man in robes which seemed to change in color with the light, varying between different earth tones. At the same time, one of the jewels on Kai's Skilled Light Magician began to glow. "Next I'll play Charm Blast to switch my Gravity Magician to defense mode, destroying monsters on your field equal to half his level, so I'll destroy your Berfomet and Pegasus!" The two named monsters exploded simultaneously as Kai's monster changed to a crouching position. The second of the jewels on Kai's frist monster began to glow. "Now I'll play the magic card, Poison of the Old Man to raise my Life Points by 1200!"

Kai-5200/Amber-4000

"Now that I've played three magic cards, my Skilled Light Magician possess three magic counters. So now, I'll sacrifice him for my Light Magician (2500/2100) in attack mode!" The man in white shattered, being replaced by his mentor, also dressed in white, brandishing his gold staff. "Light Magician, attack her monster now!" The man raised his gold scepter, charging it with magical energies, which it released in a single explosion, obliterating Selene.

Kai-5200/Amber-3300

"Good move Kai." she smiled, drawing a third card, giving them equal hands. "No wonder I think I'm falling in love with you. But, I wont loose just because completely turned things around so quickly. You see, I can do the exact same thing!" she grinned, pulling on one of her cards. "I summon my Midnight Raven (2200/300) in attack mode!" A large raven of pure shadow materialized on the field, screeching into the air. "Next I'll use my Stealth Wings card to increase its attack by 200 times its level for one turn, so now she has 3000 attack points! But not only that, my Stealth Wings allow her to attack twice this turn. So first, I'll wipe out your Light Magician!" The bird of the night took flight and used its talons to rip through the flesh of Kai's magician, staining his white robes red. "Next I'll destroy your Guardian!" The scarlet robes, unlike the white, showed now signs of the red blood upon them before shattering. "And now, my Midnight Raven and any cards I played on it are returned to my deck!" she explained as the monster disappeared. "That ends my turn."

"I'll draw!" Kai began his turn with four cards. "I'll switch my Gravity Mage to attack mode, and then summon my Sorceress of the Blue Flames (1600/900)!" A woman in blue and red robes appeared with runes stitched into the edges of her robes. She placed her palms together and the runes began to shift and warp, casting the illusion of movement and seeming to come alight with blue fire. "When she is summoned, she instantly destroys one of your set cards!" The flames began to pull away from the sorceress's robes before bombarding the second card Amber had set.

"I don't think so." Amber called, extending her arm over the card, which flipped up, the flames impacting the ground where the cards edges had been seconds before. "Feather Darts allows me to discard a winged-beast from my hand to destroy three cards in your hand." As she slipped her final card into her Graveyard, three small darts seeming to be carved into the shape of feathers sprang from the trap, each arrow striking one of Kai's cards, which he then slipped into his Graveyard, leaving both players without any cards in their hand. "Also, I may draw one card for every monster you discarded. So, how many was that?" Kai held up a single card, which he flipped around to show her, displaying his Silent Magician (1000/1000). Satisfied, she drew one card.

"Even though I don't have any cards in my hand, I can still have both of my monsters attack your Life Points directly. Go!" he commanded as both magicians began to chant, the woman gathering a ball of blue fire, and the man forming a blast of invisible gravity waves, which were launched together, surging towards the young woman.

"I activate my final set card, Dark Wall of Air!" A sphere of black wind encompassed Amber, spinning rapidly and pushing the two attacks away. "This card protects me from direct attacks for one turn."

"I end my turn." Kai growled.

"I play Card of Sanctity!" Amber shouted, playing the card she had drawn by the effects of her Feather Darts, allowing her to draw five cards and Kai to draw six. "Next I'll play Spirt of the Phoenix!" An outline of a bird made of fire appeared on her field, which then soared into the air before charging directly into her Graveyard. "This will revive one random winged-beast in my Graveyard. And the chosen card is:" she paused while she pulled the card out, looked at it, smiled, and then turned it to show Kai. "Berfomet (1400/1800)! And now that he's been summoned, I can call a second Gazelle (1500/1200) from my deck, in defense mode! Then I'll sacrifice Gazelle to summon my Flash Phoenix (2400/2100) in attack mode." A bird of white flames appeared, flapping its wings and sending embers flickering through the air. "Attack his Sorceress!" The birds fires intensified until the sheer intensity forced Kai to turn his head away. Only the cries of pain form his monster told him that his monster was gone, and he turned back to the field as he heard his Life Points dropping.

Kai-4400/Amber-3300

"End turn."

"I switch Gravity Mage to defense mode." Kai began after having drawn his card. "Next I'll summon another monster in defense mode, and then set one card face down. End turn."

"I think it's time I dealt with any possible challenges to my monsters you may try." Amber smirked as she looked at her new card. "I sacrifice my Berfomet for Rekka-The Storm Empress (2400/1000)!" A tall figure in thick armor with four massive wings appeared. "When Rekka is summoned, I can destroy one face down card for every monster on the field. Since there are four monsters, I'll destroy your three face down cards and your face down monster!"

"No!" Kai gasped in horror.

"Yes! Rekka, use Karyu Strike to destroy his cards!" The behemoth flapped its mighty wings a few times, each time increasing in force exponentially. Finally, with one last gust, four individual surges of wind struck the earth, breaking up the ground as they went, slicing Kai's cards using the intense air pressure. "Now, Rekka, attack his Gravity Mage!"

"Gravity Mage, activate special ability!" Kai shouted as the man in earth tone robes began to suddenly twirl his wand, and with each rotation, an unseen force began to pull on the monster until it came to its knees with its arms and wings crossed over its chest and a horizontal card appeared underneath it, as if it were in defense mode. Then the card image moved to cover the monster completely. "By paying 200 Life Points when you attack, I can switch one card on your field face down."

Kai-4200/Amber-3300

"Then I suppose I'll end my turn." Amber grimaced, although she seemed to be for the most part calm.

"I summon Skilled White Magician (1700/1900) in defense mode, and then I'll switch my Gravity Mage to attack mode and I'll attack your face down Empress!" The man in brown robes rose to his feet and once again began to charge his gravity powers, which he launched at the horizontal card.

"I activate Providence of the Dead!" Amber shouted back as she slipped three of her four cards into her Graveyard. "I can activate this card from my hand when you attack, and end your attacks for this turn in exchange for two cards from my hand." As she explained, a ghostly figure appeared and blanketed her field, blocking the attack.

"Then I'll end my turn with another three cards face down, and end my turn." Kai conceded.

"Your face down cards wont stop me." Amber declared calmly. "I activate my rarest card, Harpies Feather Duster!"

"This can't be!" Kai shouted as a funnel of wind and feathers struck his face down cards, destroying them one at a time.

"Then I'll flip over Rekka (2400/1000), and summon Midnight Raven (2200/300) in attack mode. Flash Phoenix, attack hid White Magician!" Again, the intense flames scorched Kai's monster, leaving no traces. "Midnight Raven, attack his Gravity Mage!"

"Gravity Pulse!" Kai commanded as the black bird flip face down.

Kai-4000/Amber-3300

"You can go." Amber smiled.

"I summon Chaotic Magician (1600/2000) in defense mode, and switch my Gravity Mage to defense mode. End turn."

"I play Graceful Charity!" Amber began her turn, looking over the three cards she held, deciding which she would keep as he only card, and which two she would send to the Graveyard, finally deciding upon the third one she had pulled. "Now I'll play Spell Mirror, which will allow me to activate one magic card in my Graveyard at the cost of 500 Life Points! And I choose Card of Sanctity!"

Kai-4000/Amber-2800

"Fine, that lets me draw four cards." Kai accepted, once again holding six cards.

"Next I'll play my second Phoenix Spirit magic card to special summon a monster from my graveyard." On her field appeared Selene the Silver Unicorn, who neighed into the air upon its arrival. "Now I sacrifice my Raven and Selene for my ultimate monster!" she called, shoving the two cards into her Graveyard and then slapping one of her new ones onto her Duel Disk. What appeared was a large phoenix, its body wrapped in an exoskeleton which nearly seemed to be golden armor. "Say hello to my Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys (2400/1600)! Then I'll set two cards face down, and play Eye of the Storm, which will allow me to skip my battle phase to destroy all of your monsters, meaning I can bypass your Gravity Mage's effect!"

A swirl of clouds formed above Kai's field, with a single opening in the center. Quickly the clouds rotation increased in speed until the clouds began to funnel, stretching downwards until it covered both of his monsters, who disappeared behind a veil of water vapor, and were gone when the clouds dissipated.

"End turn."

"I play Polymerization to fuse together my Sonic Magician (1600/1800) and Shockwave Magician (1900/1100) to create Transonic Magician (2500/2500) in attack mode!" The black and white magician form his last Duel appeared, staff at the ready. "Next I'll play my Magicians Era magic card, and then I'll play Mystic Moon Dial, and select its ability to make three turns pass instantly, and allow us both to draw two cards!" Both players drew their new cards as a large slab of stone with a triangle in the center appeared, the shadow of the triangle circling the entire timepiece three time at super speeds. "Now my Transonic Magician gains three magic counters through its special ability, and then three more through the effects of Magicians Era." Six of the crystals in the staff of Kai's monster began to glow as he explained the effects of his cards. "Next I'll use his effect to sacrifice three magic counters to destroy every monster you control!"

Three of the lights faded away from the crystals along the shaft of the staff and the larger jewel at the head began to radiate a bright light, which was released in the form of a large crescent wave which crossed the field and dissolved each of her monsters.

"Transonic Magician, attack her Life Points directly!"

"Activate trap card, Zephyr Field!" Amber countered as one of her cards flipped over and a wall of wind sprang to life between her and the magician, knocking him backwards. "My trap stops your attack and lowers your monsters attack by 100 points times its level, so now he only has 1900 attack points. You're finished."

"What makes you say that?" Kai questioned.

"Let me take my turn, and I'll show you." Kai nodded, and so she drew a fourth card. "First off, my Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys (2400/1600) will return to the field in attack mode!" from her Grave slot exploded a burst of fire, which took the form of her holy creature. "Next, its special ability kicks in, destroying all magic and trap cards on the field!" The creatures wings began to glow, and it flapped them, each flap sending curved blades of light which destroyed her face down card, as well as Kai's Magician's Era.

"By destroying Magician's Era, you've activated its second ability, granting me 800 Life Points times the number of magic counters on the field, so I gain 2400 Life Points!"

Kai-6400/Amber-2800

"Doesn't matter." she responded, selecting a new card. "I play Reclaim, which will instantly activate one card of my choice in my Graveyard, after I discard one card from my hand." Quickly, she slipped her card into her Graveyard, and pulled her hand away, a new card in hand. "I've chosen the trap card, Tyrant Wings, which will give my Phoenix and extra 400 attack points, raising it to 2800!" The wings of the phoenix began to glow once again, and were increased in size to nearly double what they once were. "Sacred Phoenix, attack!" The large golden monster charged a ball of light in its jaws, which it used to incinerate Kai's monster.

Kai-5500/Amber-2800

"And my Tyrant Wings give my Phoenix another ability-it can attack you twice each turn!" Again, the bird opened its jaws, and released another ball of light, which knocked Kai onto his back.

Kai-2700/Amber-2800

Quickly, Kai pulled himself to his feet, his stare just as penetrating and yet calm as ever. "Do you end your turn." The calm in his voice seemed to catch Amber off guard, who's stopped giggling and simply nodded her head. "I must admit Amber, you surprised me. I thought I was the only Duelist who used a deck which has as a major part of its theme the ability to destroy magic and trap cards. However, I wont be caught off guard again. Now I'll end this Duel, here and now!" Looking his four cards, Kai began his turn. "I summon Alpha Sorcerer (1500/1100) in attack mode!" A small magician in midnight blue robes appeared, waving his staff about him. "Then I'll play Monster Reborn on Transonic Magician (2500/2500). Next I'll play Double Magic, discarding one card to play one of your magic cards, and the card I choose is Spell Mirror, and so I'll pay 500 Life Points to reactivate my Mystic Moon Dial, forcing three turns to pass, and each of us to draw two cards!"

Kai-2200/Amber-2800

"Now that three turns have passed, I can sacrifice my Alpha Sorcerer and his three new magic counters for Sigma Sorcerer (2400/2400) in attack mode!" The blue robes magician was replaced by and older version of himself, this one in black robes. "Then I'll play Spell Overlap to reactivate my most recently played magic card, Mystic Moon Dial, and so we each draw two more cards and three more turns pass!" Now the headband around Kai's monster was aglow with its magic counters, and looked at Kai, already aware of his plan. He nodded back. "I sacrifice my Sigma Sorcerer for my Omega Sorcerer (3300/2800) in attack mode!" Amber stared at the two dominating magicians on the field, the fear she felt nearly tangible.

"Transonic Magician, use your special ability to destroy her monster and trap card!" Again, the staff head began to glow and vibrate, generating great energy. Two crescent waves were then released, and Amber's field left empty. "Omega Sorcerer, attack directly!" The platinum and onyx robed magician raised his staff made entirely of crystal and charged his attack, which he released, striking Amber in the mid section, and causing her stumble and begin to fall as the holograms faded. Quickly, Kai bolted over to her and caught her before she hurt herself.

"You win." she admitted.

Kai-2200/Amber-0

"I'm sorry I can't return your feelings, Amber." Kai began. "It's just, I can't let anyone get close to me. I can't, and I wont. And I couldn't deal with the pain it would cause you to try and give me your devotion, and not have it returns. I'm sorry."

And with that, Kai rose to his feet and began to walk away. However, a pair of hands grabbing his stopped him. He turned to face Amber, tears in her eyes.

"You forgot this." she said, slipping a card into his hand: Harpies Feather Duster.

Smiling, Kai pocketed the magic card and her Locator Card, turned, and left, stopping at the end of the street because of the card he saw on the ground. It was a card that had fallen from the Duel Disk of the man who had attacked Amber. It was a powerful card, and since Kai had beaten him, he decided to pocket the card as a trophy. Tapping his pocket, Kai grinned ever so slightly.

'Just one more Locator Card. And you, Hell-Heaven, will help me.' he declared to himself, tapping the pocket once more.

_To Be Continued..._

Well, there you go. Again, sorry this took so long. But now I'm back, and going strong!

Also, for those who want to accuse me of stealing from Ruroni Kenshin in my little fight scene, understand that Hagime Saito and Okita Seta were real characters from Japanese history, even though Okita never got married because he died at a young age, and I don't know if Saito still has a bloodline, so it would be impossible for Vaun to ever really exist, but for my purposes, it works. Also, when I said that he is a decendant to both fighters, I meant that after several generations, Okita's many-greats-grandchild married that of Saito's. They were NOT gay (In fact, Saito killed a few gay people in power, being the xenophobic soldier he was).

Now, for the original cards:

Man- Thunder Soldier, Lightspeed Summoning, Lightning Drillman, Spark Soldier

Kai- Guardian of the Archives, Prismatic Reflection Seal, Spell Flash, Envoy of the Archives, Master of the Archives, Shockwave Magician, Sonic Magician, Transonic Magician, Quasar Magician, Learned Magister, Immortal Magister, Mysterious Magister, Skilled Light Magician (Property of Seeker of the Soul, even though I had already been toying with the idea, he was the first to write it down, so he gets credit.), Gathering of Magics, Gravity Mage, Sorceress of the Blue Flames, Chaotic Magician, Magicians Era, Alpha Sorcerer, Mystic Moon Dial, Sigma Sorcerer, Omega Sorcerer

Amber- Feather Darts, Selene the Silver Unicorn, Midnight Raven, Penumbra Pegasus, Stealth Flight, Spirit of the Phoenix, Rekka-The Storm Empress, Spell Mirror, Eye of the Storm, Zephyr Field, Flash Phoenix


	14. The Guardians Challenge

Alright, here I am, once again! I know that this took so long, but this chapter was hard to write, for reasons which you'll see later on in this chapter. However, it has been a worthwhile wait, for this is perhaps my favorite Duel so far, plus it is what will really get the plot rolling. OK, I'm going to skip the Card of the Chapter because I know how much you all want to get to the good stuff, so here we go:

**Chapter Fourteen-The Guardian's Challenge**

As Kai walked down yet another cracked street, he glanced at the nine plastic cards in his hand, each holding a small silicon ship within. He had nine Locator Cards, and so he needed one more. Sadly, as the tournament was winding down, there were more and more pedestrians, that is to say, Duelists who had been defeated, and full-fledged competitors.

"Kai." a voice ahead of him spoke. However, when Kai raised his eyes, he found no one there. Glancing around, Kai could feel the adrenaline course through his veins as he prepared for any kind of attack to be launched. "You are alert-that is good. I am pleased to see that you have progressed so well. However," at this, Kai's eyes began to increase in size, for directly in front of him, where there had been nothing but thin air a second ago, was the forming shape of a man, probably nearing his twenties, staring at him.

He had black hair which was tied together and reached down to past his back. His eyes were a storming blue, and his glare was hard, far surpassing the cold visage of Kai Kaethan. He was dressed in khaki pants, a deep red shirt with a black shirt hanging open over it.

"Who are you?" Kai was shaken to the very core by this mans presence, which was not a good sign. It was proof of the sheer power Kai felt radiating form the man, combined with his fierce stare.

"I am the one who will assure your ascension of power this day." he explained. "I am the one who will break the reality you have come to know, and will force you to realize a new world. I am Tenken Arashi, Guardian of the Citadel of Chaos!" With these words, a wind of some foreign power erupted all around them, being made of much more than moving air. Kai felt it, the immense magical energies all around them. Even more mesmerizing was the fact that there were walls forming all around them! In thin air, there were panels of shadow forming all around them.

"The Citadel of Chaos!" Kai gasped. "I thought it was just a myth!"

"That's what was said of the Millennium Items, yet you wielded your Millennium Rod only a few short hours ago. Do not hide behind weak unbelief, Kai." Tenken continued as the air grew much colder.

Tenken extended his left arm to his side, and on his wrist appeared a unique Duel Disk, unlike any Kai had ever seen. The plate was not rigid like the one Kaiba Corp had been producing for years, but it was actually curved, like a very thin crescent moon. Also, Kai noticed that at the time that the Duel Disk had appeared on Tenken's arm, his clothes changed. Instead of the leisurely styled slacks and collared shirt he had been wearing seconds before, Tenken was now in a pair of grey baggy pants whose ends were covered by tops of his leather boots, while a black gi top covered his chest.

"Why do we have to Duel? And I still don't understand who you are!" Kai called back, still not reaching for his deck.

"I am a Guardian. It is my duty to watch over the dimensions and ensure that balance is maintained. There was a disaster a century ago in this dimension. Now, that disaster is in danger of repeating, only many times more devastating."

"That still doesn't explain why you and I must Duel." Kai countered.

"Even the greatest general knows he cannot win on his own. Even if the final battle is his alone, the war is shared with many. And if I am to ensure the continuing of life and existence throughout all realities, I will need you help. And you must learn what it will be like to battle enemies like mine."

"Let me fight this my own way!"

"You fool!" Tenken shouted. "You think that just because your talents exceed that of most other Duelists that the world is made safe? You haven't even begun to tap your full potential, and you'll need every last bit of your strength if you're going to face the challenges that you will meet."

"What makes you so sure?" Kai rebuffed, intrigued by this mans wisdom and strength. Swiftly, in on motion, he pulled his deck free and slipped it into his Duel Disk, drawing five cards.

"I will show you true power, Kai, and then you will see why I am so sure." Tenken replied, drawing six cards, signaling that the first turn would be his. "I play Treasure of the Guardian Goddess!" he called, playing the magic card, the infinite symbol in its corner telling Kai it was a continuous magic card. "This card costs me five cards from my hand, and then gives me two new cards. However, I will be compensated, as I may now draw two cards each turn."

"Impressive." Kai commented. "But now you only have two cards to work with, while my hand is full."

"Never underestimate the power of a devout servant-_never_." Tenken explained back. "I summon a monster in defense mode and set one card face down. It's your move."

"I draw." Kai called back. "And I'll summon my Galaxy Magus (1400/1000) in attack mode!" A sorcerer about Kai's height appeared, dressed in black with thousands, if not millions, of white dots covering his robes, each one shimmering and seeming to move in intricate patterns, like the stars of the night sky. "Now I'll play my Pot of Greed card, which will allow me to draw two cards." Quickly, Kai pulled the cards free. "Not only that, but because I drew two cards, my Magus receives two Magic Counters, and so gains 600 attack and defense points (2000/1600)!" The intensity of the shine of the dots on Kai's monster began to increase as he twirled his staff around menacingly. "Galaxy Magus, attack!"

The mage stopped the movements of his staff, aiming the end at the horizontal card image before him and released a burst of small shooting stars which pelted the card, causing an explosion of smoke.

"If that your strength Kai?" Tenken asked, his voice still cold and judgmental. The smoke cleared, and a figure with large muscles, crouching low with his arms crossed over his chest, remained on Tenken's field. "Ryoko Guardian (700/2400) is far to strong to be destroyed by such means."

Kai-3600/Tenken-4000

"Very well. I set one card face down, and end my turn." Kai completed his turn, a brown backed card appearing just a few feet away from him.

"I will now draw my two cards, and then I'll play my Gravity Axe magic card, which raises my Guardian's attack by 500!" In the hands of the crouching monster appeared a large, two handed, double-bladed axe with elaborate carvings in it. "And now that I have only one card in my hand, and the Gravity Axe in play, I can summon my Guardian Grarl (2500/1000) in attack mode!"

Next to Tenken's first monster appeared a new figure, this one a brown dinosaur-human hybrid, standing well erect on two long legs, and two sturdy arms, but it's skin was brown and scaley and the head was very reptilian. "And now, because of Ryoko Guardian's special ability, Gravity Axe instantly transfers to Grarl (3000)!" The dark skinned warrior reached to his side, his eyes never leaving Kai, and with one hand snatched up the massive weapon. "However, instead of using Grarl to attack you right now, I'll activate my face down card, Guardians Vow!"

The concealed card sprang to life before Kai's eyes, the picture that of Ryoko Guardian praying before the steps to a massive temple. "This card allows me to sacrifice one Guardian on my field to then summon two level four Guardians from my deck, along with their own specific equipment magic card!" In a flash of light, the lizard creature was gone and placed in the cemetery. In the space of about three seconds, Tenken had pulled his deck free, chosen the four needed cards, and was reshuffling his deck, which took only a few seconds, followed by his lightning-fast arms returning his deck to its slot. "I've chosen Guardian Elma (1300/1200), along with her Butterfly Dagger!" A woman with red hair, a short skirt, revealing corset, and hosting a long green dagger appeared. "And she will now gain 300 attack points from the dagger (1600). Not only that, but when she is summoned, I can select one equipment magic card in my Graveyard and move it to the field. I choose Graveity Axe!" Next to Elma, standing perfectly erect on the smooth stone pedestal, what the double bladed war axe. "Next, I'll summon Guardian Raisek (1600/1000) in attack mode, who will be equipped with the Hammer of Miracles!" The second monster was a man in platinum armor which as tightly fit to his thin body, seeming to be like a rigid layer of skin rather than the bulky armor Kai had observed in his history studies. In his hands was a short handled mallet which was spiked on the back end.

"The Hammer of Miracles will lower Raisek's attack points by 800 for now (800/1000), but that wont be much of a worry for long. And when Raisek is summoned, I choose one magic, one trap, and one monster in my Graveyard, and show them to you." His eyes rolled to his Graveyard, which ejected three cards, which then lifted themselves into the air inches away from Tenken's face before turning around, one by one to face Kai, who stood shocked by the spectacle. Quickly, Kai came to himself and took note of the three cards.

"Guardian Rebirth, Guardian Formation, and Guardian Byce (2000/500)." Kai read their names and then nodded, signaling that Tenken could continue.

"Now, I choose one of these three, which will go to my hand, while the other two will go to my deck, which will then be shuffled." Tenken explained, again shuffling his deck with blinding speed and grace. "Now I play Guardian Rebirth, which will revive my Guardian Grarl (2500/1000) in attack mode. And since he has returned, Grarl will pick up his axe, returning him to his former glory of attack points (3000)!" Kai stared back at Tenken in shock. Never had he seen such a swarm tactic as flawless or overwhelming as this. On the second turn, his opponent had summoned three monsters, each ready to have at him.

"Guardian Grarl, attack his Galaxy Magus now!" The dinosaur lunged across the field and smashed his fist through the stomach of the black robed sorcerer, the scaley knuckles emerging through the back of the magus, blood and bone splashing to the ground, some of it even striking Kai.

Kai-2600/Tenken-40000

"I activate my face down card, Magic Field!" A translucent barrier appeared between the two Duelists, a mystic shimmer all about it. "This field of energy appears the instant I take Life Point damage, and will prevent you from attacking me for the remainder of the turn!" Without a word, Tenken conceded control to Kai, once again having no cards in his hand.

'What's going on?' Kai asked himself, reaching to his cheek and feeling the few drops of blood there. "How is it that in a Duel, blood can be shed and bones broken? Unless, what he is saying is true!" With an excited look, Kai turned his attention to Tenken. 'I always hoped that every legend could be true, but also believed many to be false. Now I know that what Tenken says is the truth, and I will battle to learn more!'

"I draw!" Upon seeing his new card, Kai instantly devised his strategy. "I set one monster in defense mode, and one card face down. That ends my turn."

"If you think that simply biding your time will help, or that I can be caught in a trap, you still have much to learn. For instance, I play the magic card The Guarded Treasure!" On Tenken's field appeared a new magic card, using up his last magic zone. "This card will allow me to draw five cards, and any which does not have the word 'Guardian' in its name, or does not have the name of a Guardian monster in its own name will be sent to the grave."

In a flash, Tenken had drawn his five cards, giving him a hand of six, and then he discarded two, leaving him with four cards. "Next I will play the magic card Chains of Mortality, which will raise Ryoko Guardians attack by 300 attack points!" In the arms of Ryoko appeared this time a long chain, which lay as limp as a rope, the barbed links apparently made to fold over each other in such a way that it could achieve maximum flexibility rather than the clanky shape of a normal chain.

"Another Guardian!" Kai gasped.

"Yes! Guardian Tyrol (2400/1200), come forth, draw on me for the life energy which will give you life as well!" Tenken called as another figure appeared, this one in tall leather boots, long, rustic pants, and a sleeveless coat appeared, grabbing up the chain, which instantly ignited at each tip the instant he touched it (2800/1200). "Tyrol is summoned once I have a Guardian on my field. And now, I have an army of Guardians ready to destroy."

"This can't be!" Kai moaned, sweat seeping from every pour on his body. " It just can't. This should be impossible."

"This, Kai, is true power. This is the power of Life. I have given it to these monsters, and with it, I will take away yours!" Tenken lectured, his voice having never changed pitch throughout the entire Duel. "Guardian Tyrol, attack him monster!"

The creature spun the chain in a circle a few times, building up force before swinging his arm forward, thrusting the spearhead end, alight with blue flames, streaking through the air, crushing through Kai's monster, which revealed itself to be his Learned Magister.

"Now, because you destroyed my monster, I am allowed to special summon a new monster in defense mode from my deck!" Kai called as a new horizontal card appeared.

"Very well, your fighting spirit intrigues me." Tenken stated, and it would have been considered a scoff had there been even the slightest hint of sarcasm present in his tone. "Elma, attack!" The fairy flipped the knife around in her hand and flung it into the air, arching it through the atmosphere to crash tip first into Kai's card, instantly causing a clean split in the hologram, destroying the card, and the man in silver robes crouching over a piece of parchment.

"You've now destroyed Trinity Magister, which will increase my Life Points by 500 and allow me summon another one from my deck in defense mode!" Kai explained as yet another horizontal card appeared.

Kai-3100/Tenken-4000

"That should buy me a bit of time." Kai sighed, not noticing the glint of light which went off in Tenken's stormy eyes upon hearing this.

"Grarl, Raisek, attack his last two monsters." First the axe-wielding menace charged the field, crashing his blade through Kai's monster, wielding the weapon with incredible ease and grace, despite its ridiculous size and obvious weight. This was followed up by the armored warrior smashing his hammer down and destroying the final Magister.

Kai-5600/Tenken-4000

"I see." Tenken observed as Kai's Life Points exceeded his first calculations. "When I destroyed the final Magister, you gained the five hundred Life Points, plus another fifteen hundred. Very shrewd. Well, time is not a worry of mine. Except that time grows short as we prepare to battle with the true enemy."

"Are you ever going to tell me who it is?" Kai asked.

"Defeat me, and then you will receive answers." Tenken returned. "I shall now end my turn."

"I summon Gravity Mage (1800/0) in attack mode, and then I'll have him attack your Guardian Raisek!" The earth tone robed magician swished his wand through the air, sending a wave of hyper gravity towards the silver armored monster, who began to whither away.

"I activate the special ability of the Hammer of Miracles!" Tenken responded, barely showing any kind of expression. "When a card is destroyed, I can sacrifice the Hammer to revive that monster. So, as Raisek dies, his weapon will be his ransom for renewed life and strength as his attack points return to 1600!"

Kai-5600/Tenken-3000

"I end my turn." Kai stated, biting his lip in frustration. He had not expected for Tenken's monster to pull through.

"I set one card face down, and then I will have Grarl attack your Mage!" The beast sprung forward using his powerful leg muscles to quickly close the gap.

"You've activated Gravity Mage's special ability!" Kai called as the magician began to generate the hyper gravity forces which would pull Grarl to defense mode. "At the cost of 200 Life Points, I can change any card which targets this monster face down."

"I activate my face down quick-play magic card, Effect Seal!" Tenken responded. "I shuffle one card from my hand into my deck, and in exchange I get to place a Magic Counter on your monster. So long as that counter is there, your monster cannot activate his ability!"

"Go magic card!" Kai shouted as his monster was struck in the chest by an unseen force and a light appeared on his chest. "Magical Hats to protect my Mage under one of four hats. The question is, which one."

"Grarl, continue your assault!" Tenken ordered, and the dinosaur agreed, cutting down on the far right hat, which had nothing in it. "Tyrol, the next hat!" The man swung his chain about, launching it at high speeds through the next hat, which exploded to reveal nothing.

"You were wrong, Tenken. My Gravity Mage lives on, unless you want to forfeit your other two Guardians!"

"I'll set a card face down, and end my turn."

"Then I'll draw and play my Halo Magician (500/2500) in defense mode!" A burly mage appeared, his robes a radiant white and a divine circlet above his head, generating a shimmering barrier all around himself. "He'll now be hidden under the remaining empty hat, so now both are filled."

"It makes no difference." Tenken began to explain. "My two Guardians will still crush them."

"We'll see about that, after I activate my Harpies Feather Duster to destroy all of your equipment magic cards as well as your draw advantage!" Kai shouted as the spiral of feathers surged towards Tenken's field.

"I activate the trap card, Magic Exchange!" Tenken called. "I remove magic cards in my Graveyard from play, in this instance, Hammer of Miracles and Guardian Rebirth, and in exchange I can protect two magic cards on the field, so I choose Chains of Mortality and Treasure of the Guardian Goddess!" As the funnel of wind crossed the path of the named cards, a golden aura came to life around them, repelling the assault. Sadly, such could not be said of Tenken's other magic cards, and the Guardians were each stripped of their weapon.

"I'll also switch my Gravity Mage to defense mode, and end my turn." Kai concluded as the two hats shuffled about.

"Clever, Kai." Tenken said as he drew his two cards, his face still not betraying any sort of emotion. "However, none of your old tricks will work against me. I place three cards face down and then I order Guardian Grarl to attack your hat on the left!" The large reptilian monster dashed across the field and punched the designated hat, which revealed itself to be Kai's Halo Magician, Grarl's attack being deflected but no real damage inflicted. However, the third hat also exploded, revealing Kai's Gravity Mage. "Tyrol, attack!" With a flick of his wrist, the burly man had smashed his chain through the holy barrier, ripping a small hole through the mans chest. "Raisek, attack his last monster!" The thin man raised one arm above his head and punched down, breaking Kai's monster to pieces. "Now the second effect of the counter on you monster. When it's destroyed, you lose 200 Life Points for every level of that monster, so you lose 800 Life Points!"

Kai-4800/Tenken-3000

"Now Elma, attack directly!" With a quick lunge of her upper body, Elma through the dagger into the air, which quickly came to rest in the ground behind Kai, the tip having grazed his left shoulder, ripping his shirt and skin, and thin line of blood forming. Kai screamed in pain and grasped his shoulder, his legs buckling slightly from the surprise.

Kai-3200/Tenken-3000

"End turn."

'This guy's unreal.' Kai thought to himself. 'He just keeps on coming. His monsters wont die, and whenever I try to use my cards to stop them, he still rips through. What can I do?'

"I draw!" Kai shouted, drawing the top card off his deck. "I set one card face down and summon Atom Sorcerer (1000/1000) in defense mode. End."

"I play the magic card, Guardian Thunder Blast!" Tenken called as dark clouds formed above their heads and the rumblings of thunder could be heard. "I select Guardian Raisek for this duty. He may not attack this turn, but in exchange, I can destroy your one monster!"

A single bolt of lightning descended from the sky and struck Raisek, who didn't even flinch. Instead, he just raised his arm and pointed two fingers at Kai's Atom Sorcerer. The electricity crackling all around him channeled to the one point of his finger tips and then exploded from his hand as a thin beam of charge energy which shattered the monster, charred pieces of his robes fluttering about in the air.

However, this even was followed by a very strange occurrence. Kai's field was suddenly filled with four new, small magicians, each crouching in defense mode. One was in red, another in light blue, a third in white, and the last in yellow.

"What's this?" Tenken demanded.

"When Atom Sorcerer is destroyed, he is split into the four primary pieces of the atom: Neutron (500/500), Electron (500/500), Proton (500/500), and Quartz (500/500)! Each of these tokens has a different ability, and will help to shield my Life Points." Kai explained, a feint smile on his face. It was a good defense, but he had to get on the attack, and soon.

"Interesting. However, this is not true power. Until you discover true power, you will never beat me." Tenken said yet again. "Tyrol, attack his Proton Sorcerer now!" Without swinging the chain at all this time, the mighty figure thrust the chain at Kai's monster.

"I activate my Negate Attack trap card!" A barrier of invisible force began to pull on the air right in front Kai's monsters, seeming to pull the air tight to try and make a dense wall to resist the attack. Because of these efforts, it was hard to believe it when the chain actually crashed through and still pierced Kai's monster. "What?"

"Chains of Mortality allow Tyrol to attack without any sort of negation. Negate Attack, Magic Cylinder, Prismatic Reflection Seal, they're all worthless against Tyrol!"

"Be as that may, because Proton Sorcerer has been destroyed, I now get to destroy one of your magic or trap cards!" Kai announced, pointing at one of the three cards Tenken had face down. The card exploded, and Tenken placed his Guardians Counterattack into his Grave.

"Grarl, attack his Electron Sorcerer now!" With a single punch, Kai's blue robed monster was gone. "And what was the effect of this token?" Tenken inquired, already understanding that with each token he destroyed, Kai would get some sort of effect.

"I get to draw two cards from my deck." Kai explained, increasing his hand to four.

"Elma, attack and destroy his Quartz Sorcerer!" The corset wearing fairy jumped across the field and slashed down, cutting the monster in half. However, this time the fragments of the monster did not just fade away harmlessly, but instead began to dart around the field at high speeds, ripping tiny holes in all of Tenken's Guardians. "What are you doing?" Tenken demanded, a slight hint of horror in his voice, barely noticed by Kai.

With a smirk, Kai explained. "When Quartz Sorcerer is destroyed, all non-token monsters on the field are destroyed. That means that all of your Guardians are destroyed, and I get to keep on monster."

"I have nothing left I can do. Go." Tenken admitted, acknowledging his empty monster field and hand. Except, it wasn't empty. There was still a card in it.

"How do you still have a card left? You didn't have any cards in your hand when you attacked." Kai demanded.

"True, but when you destroyed Elma, you destroyed the Butterfly Dagger. When it is destroyed, it is instantly returned to my hand." Tenken explained, turning the magic card around. Also, so as to dismiss from Kai's mind any bursts of confidence, he acknowledged his two face down cards, showing that he wasn't entirely harmless.

"I summon a monster in defense mode and set a card face down. That ends my turn."

"Then I will play my trap card, Guardian Revolution!" Tenken began his turn as he drew his two cards. "At the cost of 500 Life Points, I get to summon two Guardians from my Graveyard in defense mode for one turn. Come forth Ryoko Guardian and Guardian Elma!"

Kai-3200/Tenken-2500

True to Tenken's word, both of his monsters returned to the field, both crouching low. "Next, Elma's effect activates, equipping a card to her. I choose Hammer of Miracles!" In Elma's hand appeared the gleaming steel hammer, lowering her attack points to a sparse 500. However, a quick transition then occurred, as Ryoko Guardian reached over to her and took the weapon away from her. "Next I will play my Staff of Chaos!" In Ryoko Guardian's hands appeared a dark metal staff with a thin blade at one end and four prongs grasping a black and white crystal at its head. "This card will raise it's attack power by 300 points, so now he has 200 attack points. Then I'll play Card of Sanctity!" Both players briskly drew new cards, three for Kai and five for Tenken. " Next I'll set a card face down. "Also, with the Staff of Chaos I can double the activation of any of my magic cards. So now I'll play my Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your set card and my card as well."

Twin funnels of wind struck each side of the field, each drilling through the set cards, both of which shattered.

"What was the effect of your magic card?" Kai asked of Tenken, his voice even. "Obviously, you wanted it to be destroyed, so what was it?"

"Very perceptive of you." Tenken returned, his face much more emotionless than Kai's. "Guardians Restoration special summons one Guardian from my Graveyard in defense mode after it is destroyed. So rise again, Guardian Grarl!" Yet another crouching figure appeared on Tenken's field. "Now, I think I will sacrifice Elma for my Guardian Kain (2300/2000) in attack mode!"

The newest Guardian was a tall figure in tattered clothes, a long burgundy coat hanging open over his frame, reaching down to his shins. "Now Kain, take up your Staff!" And so, the man walked over to Ryoko Guardian, who extended the staff with a bow, and it was accepted with a grim smirk. "Now Kain, activate your special ability!" Tenken held his hand over his Graveyard and received a number of cards, which he began to shuffle into his deck. "When Kain is summoned, I get to shuffle all monsters in my Graveyard back into my deck. Now Kain, attack his defense mode monster!"

With blinding speed, the man was directly before Kai's card image, staff raised and prepared to strike with the intent of delivering a powerful thrust downward to crush the monster.

"I will activate my face down card," Kai called as the quick-play magic card flipped over. The image was that of a Mirror Force and a pile of cards, twin arrows cycling from one to the other. "Trap Circuit allows me to activate one trap card in my Graveyard when you attack. So I will activate my Negate Attack to stop your attacks for this turn." A barrier of energy appeared before Kai's monsters and batted the attack away.

"Very well." Tenken smiled. "I will end my turn by activating the effect of the Hammer of Miracles, sacrificing it to keep my Ryoko Guardian in play." And so the silver hammer vanished from his monsters hand, but his crouching monster remained. "Kai, I will give you two more turns to awaken your true power. If you do not, I will destroy you, and I will seal you, body and soul, within the paths between dimensions, were time is lost and immortality granted. But with this immortality will come eternal torment. So, take your turn."

"As you wish." Kai responded, continuing his false courage, his determination shaken and replaced by desperation now. "I set two cards face down and then I'll activate my Magical University, which forces me to discard my entire hand, but I will be well compensated." He explained, slipping the four cards into his Graveyard. "Now I will draw cards, and will not stop until I reach a level five or higher spellcaster, who will then be special summoned. The remaining cards will then go directly to my hand. So, let us begin!" Quickly he pulled the top card off of his deck, smiled, and added it to his hand. Then he drew again, and added the card to his hand. He drew three more times, and on his sixth draw, he slapped the card onto his Duel Disk. "I've summoned my Light Magician (2500/2100) in attack mode!"

"Impressive, Kai." Tenken admitted. "However, he is no match for Guardian Kain, and attacking Grarl would be suicide. He's not enough. This isn't even a fraction of your power."

"We'll see. For now, I normal summon my Skilled Dark Magician (1900/1700) and then I'll set a card face down and play the magic card, Magician's Cross!" Another magic card appeared, this one depicting two wizards with their staff's crossed and a sphere of magical energy crackling at the point where they intersected. "This will allow my two magician's to attack as one with an attack power of 3000!" As he said this, Kai's tow monsters crossed staffs and began to power up. "Destroy Guardian Kain!" The attack fired and consumed the staff wielder, burning him away.

Kai-3200/Tenken-2100

"Next I play the magic card, Mystic Moon Dial, speeding time ahead by three turns and allowing us both to draw two cards!" On Kai's field appeared an archaic time piece with a column of silver moonlight hanging directly over it, the shadow grazing across it's surface three times. "That's two Magic Counters on my Skilled Dark Magician." Kai pointed out as the two beads on either shoulder of his monster began to glow gold. "Now I'll play my Magical Interest magic card, discarding my three cards to draw six new ones!" As quickly as the adrenaline pumped Duelist could he slipped his old hand of three into the Graveyard and then drew six new cards off of his now very thin deck. "Now I will sacrifice my Skilled Dark Magician to special summon my Dark Magician (2500/2100) in attack mode!" The brown robed man exploded into digital fragments and was replaced by the purple clad wizard.

"Very good, Kai." Tenken admitted. "However, it's not good enough."

"What is it you want from me?" Kai demanded.

"Your true power. You descend from a group of Guardians, just as I do. I know what power lies dormant within you. It's up to you to unleash it."

"I find it hard to believe that you can just dismiss everything I just done." Kai responded. "Dark Magician, attack and destroy Ryoko Guardian!" The mage raised his palm and released a wave of magic which shattered the muscular soldier. "Finally, I activate my Light Magic Attack magic card to destroy your entire hand. Now go." Kai seethed as Tenken dropped his entire hand into his Graveyard and then drew two cards.

"I play Guardians Feint!" The brown skinned reptilian beast bent down to his knees and crossed his arms over his chest. "By switching Grarl to defense mode, I can destroy one enemy monster!" Suddenly, the Light Magician began to convulse violently before breaking apart. "Now I'll play my last card, another Guardians Feint!" Grarl quickly jumped to his feet, his arms ready for battle. "Now I'll destroy your Dark Magician!" The purple spellcaster clutched his head, screaming in pain before he two succumbed to death and melted away. "Now, Grarl, attack his Life Points directly!" With a quick lunge, the dinosaur embedded his fist in Kai's stomach, dropping him to the ground, withering in agony and gasping for air.

'What am I supposed to do?' Kai asked himself as he sucked in small bits of air. 'I've tried my best moves. Attack after attack has failed. Not even my Dark Magician and Light Magician together could beat him. What am I supposed to do?'

Kai-700/Tenken-2100

"Come now Kai, time heals all wounds, does it not?"

"Time?" Kai muttered. "Time?"

"Yes?" Tenken asked, his voice suddenly excited.

"Time, that's it!" Kai shouted, crawling to his feet. "I know what I must do to take you down!" Kai declared boldly. "And so I draw!" Whipping the top card off of his deck, Kai began to plan what could possibly be his last move. "I activate my face down card, Magicians Circle!" The trap flipped over to reveal a ring with a pentagram inside of it. "This card allows us both to summon one spellcaster from our decks in attack mode. However, since you don't have any Guardian equipment cards on the field, even if you did have a magician to summon, you couldn't. I on the other hand," Kai trailed off, placing his fingers on the top card of his deck. "I place my faith in the power of my soul. So, let it be unleashed! Let the power of the Gates of Time be set free!"he shouted, pulling the top card off of his deck.. The strange part was that his deck began to glow as this happened, but was hardly noticed by either player as Kai swung the new card around and then summoned without even looking at. "I summon Time Mage (2400/2500)!"

The new monster that appeared wore a pair of white pants with a white top, black sleeves, and a white fabric hanging over the top, all lined in platinum trim. In his hands he held a silver staff with a shimmering crystal at the end, held in by three short prongs while the other end came to a sharp pointed blade.

"Next I will play my Hand Rebirth magic card, forcing us both to discard our hands and draw five new cards!"

"I activate my trap card, Tribute to the Holy Goddess!" Tenken interrupted while both players discarded their hands. "This card allows me to place any Guardian monster or magic card from my deck into my hand whenever you draw cards outside of your draw phase!" he explained as he shuffled through his deck with his usual blinding speed, adding a sixth card to his hand. Kai ignored this, though, as he drew his five cards, the first two of them glowing with the same mysterious light which had spawned the Time Mage.

"That's one Magic Counter down, one to go." Kai muttered.

"Magic Counters?" Tenken asked, his voice dripping with curiosity.

"Yes," Kai responded with confidence. "I now play the magic card Gates of Time!" The hidden slot on the lefthand side of Kai's Duel Disk opened up and he slipped the field magic card in. Behind him appeared a large rectangular archway of dark stone with hundreds of runes carved into it, all glowing white with power. A thick door remained sealed within the arch, more symbols covering it. "And now that this card is on the field, I can special summon my Guardian of Time (2400/2500) without a sacrifice!" From two prongs on the top of the archway appeared a beam of light which struck the ground a few feet from Kai's Time Magician, and from that light appered Kai's second monster, which looked just like the Time Mage, only with blue sleeves and gold trim. "And now I can activate my Time Mage's special ability, sacrificing both of his counters to remove Guardian Grarl from play!"

Spinning the staff around at ultra sonic speeds, the master of time itself began his magical attack, firing a beam of energy unlike any Kai had ever seen before, what could only be described as pure time itself, which struck and obliterated Tenken's monster, leaving nothing. It was not a dramatic explosion or a struggle of power, simply that Tenken's monster became consumed and was then gone.

"Now my two monsters will attack for the win!" The two time keepers began to charge energy on their own, preparing for their attack.

"I think not!" Tenken shouted. "Activate magic card, Sanctity of the Buried!"

"But you have no cards on the field, except for your Treasure of the Guardian Goddess!" Kai called back.

"This is a card I discarded on my first turn, and have been saving for just this moment." Tenken explained as a rack of cards in his Graveyard began to fly into his hand. "By removing five cards from my Graveyard, I can negate one of your attacks. So I removed Sanctity of the Buried, plus nine more cards, to negate both of your attacks." The two magicians let their attacks fly as a silver barrier appeared around Tenken and deflected both attacks to the side.

"You've saved yourself for now, but understand that no one escapes Time. It is unmatched as the ultimate destroyer." Kai taunted coldly.

"We'll see." Tenken said, drawing his two cards and giving him eight from which to choose. "I could have finished you off at any time, Kai. I have held back for the sake of ensuring that your true power was awakened. You will find that the three cards on your field are the only cards born of your soul thus far, but they will grow. For now, my objective is complete. We have no more need to keep battling, and so I shall now end it."

"Not likely." Kai rebuffed. "I have two deadly monsters and their own field card on the field to back me up. You have no monsters and not magic or trap cards to help you. Your strongest Guardians have been destroyed and removed from the game. Although possible, a comeback for you is rather unlikely."

"Don't be so sure," Tenken pointed out, his cool tone far more chilling than anything Kai had ever produced. "Like I said, I could have finished you from the start. However, allow me to show you a fragment of my true power. To start, I will need to play the magic card, Matchless Exorcism!" Upon activation of the new card, both players Graveyards began to glow and spit cards out. "I now name any type of card, in this case Monsters, and we both shuffle all cards of that type into our decks!" As such, both players reached to their Graveyard slots, picked up the cards, and began to shuffle them into their decks.

"Next I will play the magic card, Hand of Heaven!" Out of the holographic image of the newest card appeared a shimmering fist of light which reached out and grabbed at Kai's deck. "This card can only be activated if you have more monsters on the field that I do, and if I have no monsters in my Graveyard, but it forces you to select a number of cards in your deck equal to the level of monsters on the field, divided by two. You have two level five monsters, and I have none. As such, you have to choose five monsters in your deck and send them directly to your Graveyard!" Kai did so, puzzled by Tenken's maneuver. It really wasn't hurting him, as Kai had chosen some of his stronger monsters, which he could bring out eventually through the power of his Gates of Time.

"Now I play the magic card, Holy Goddess Sword!" In the ground between the two Duelists appeared a long bladed sword, tapered on one side, with a simple and slender handle. "Now, since I have the Goddess Sword in play and no monsters in my cemetery, I can summon this monster, Guardian Eatos (2500/2000)!" As he commanded, an image of light shot into the air, disappearing amongst the clouds for a second before diving directly into the card, followed by the appearance of a woman with blond hair in traditional Native American clothing with a ceremonial headdress, spreading her magnificent angel wings wide. "Now I play the magic card, Goddess Wrath, forcing me to discard the remainder of my hand, but in exchange, I can destroy every face down magic and trap card on your field. Go Eatos!"

The woman held her sword in front of her, the blade glowing red with power, which she then swung in a wide arc in Kai's direction, kicking up a wave of sand which surged towards him, blowing by harmlessly as a crescent wave of energy cut his Rope of Life and Magician's Ordination in half.

"Now Eatos's special ability activates!" Tenken shouted. "Spirit of the Sword!" She held the sword above her head, a now blue ethereal light flowing from the blade. Kai began to feel his arm being tugged upwards by some unseen strings. One by one, the five monsters he had just discarded popped out of his Graveyard and hovered in the air above him. "I see, so you discarded your Dark Magician (2500/2100), Light Magician (2500/2100), Steadfast Magician (500/2200), Master of the Archives (1900/1200), and Chaotic Magician (1600/2000)." Tenken read the cards off, one by one as they began to glow and images of them appeared in spirit form. "However, these may have been good choices in a normal Duel, but against me, it wasn't so great. You see, those five monsters are now going to add their attack power to my Guardian Eatos!" Tenken explained.

As one, the five monsters leaped high into the air and streamed into the glowing blue sword. "Now Eatos has 11500 attack points!"

"No!" Kai shouted.

"Yes." Tenken called back. "Eatos, attack, destroy the cards of his very soul!" The angel raised her blade higher into the air as the energy began to thrash about before she struck the ground, sending a wave of power towards Kai.

"I may lose," Kai whispered. "But I will not let my monsters to suffer for my weakness! I activate my two monsters special ability, Time Rift, allowing each of them to escape into time and avoid the attack by being removed from play for one turn at the cost of one Magic Counter each, which they both had thanks to all of you magic cards!" Kai explained as his two monsters each slashed his staff through the air, ripping a hole in the nothingness. They each turned to look at him, a look of concern and hesitation in their eyes. Without a second thought, their master nodded, and they each jumped into their own rip in time itself. Kai then raised his arms and dug his feet into the ground in preparation of the attack, which swept over him. He felt his body seem to catch fire as the magical power washed over him. It was far worse than any holographic attack he had ever received, and he screamed in pure agony of the body.

It was over, and Kai had lost.

Kai-0/Tenken-2100

"Well done Kai. By removing your two soul cards from play, you have spared yourself, and your spirit will feel no repercussions." Tenken smirked.

The dark cloud around them began to fade, and as it did, Kai felt the last of his adrenaline die out, and he fell to the ground with a low thud, the last patch of shadow absorbing the fall and so he did not injure himself on jagged concrete. However, despite his exhaustion, he could not close his eyes or even rest, his mind racing with curiosity.

'Where did that power come from? What are the Gates of Time that I spoke of before my power came to be? Why did this Tenken seek me out?'

"For you valor, I will reward you." Tenken explained, reaching into the open shirt which had returned in place of the gi. He flicked his wrist and sent a plastic Locator Card sailing towards Kai, as well as a magic card. "Take these and go to the Battle City Finals. I wont be going, but if you are to progress, I suggest you go. And don't think of denying yourself this chance. You may feel that you lost, but in truth, you achieved what was far more important than a simple win: you unlocked your true power. Now go, and prepare for when I return." And with that, Tenken turned away, prepared to leave, but stopped himself as a single thought occurred to him. "Yes, you may need this," he said, holding his arm over Kai's body and a stream of silver light flowed all around the bi-eyed Duelist, the burn and cut marks which had covered his body vanishing. "That will take care of your physical injuries. Mentally and spiritually, you will still be weak for a few hours, if not days, but that will heal. Now, I am off." And with that, Tenken's whole body faded, leaving no trace that he had been there except for the now resting Kai Kaethen and the two cards laying in front of him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Kai!" a voice called, alerting the sleeping figured, whose eyes fluttered. "Kai!" The voice called again. Kai opened his eyes and forced himself awake, nearly crashing his head into the face of Kevin Hunter.

"Kevin, where did you come from?" Kai asked, sitting up. His body was sore, but it was still manageable.

"I came along a few minutes ago. It looked like you had been out for some time. But what happened? You weren't harmed in any way physically, but you looked like you might have been beat up, lying on the ground like that." the blond Duelist explained.

"Long story Kevin, and not one that I fully understand yet. The point is, I got these." Kai responded, picking up the cards Tenken had left for him. He turned the Duel Monsters card around, and found that it was a Treasure of the Guardian Goddess.

"Well, this is a pleasant surprise." a voice to their side laughed. Both boys turned their attention to the end of the alley and found a rare hunter standing there. However, unlike all previous rare hunters, he wore a black cloak, and on his arm was a much more elaborate Duel Disk, looking more like a large wrist blade rather than a Duel Disk. "Two of our targets, once again together."

"What do you want?" Kevin spat as both boys came to their feet.

"He wants to tell me where Takamori Mudo is!" yet another voice called from the opposite end of the alley. Again, both boys turned and found themselves confronted by a young man in a white hakama with a blue gi and a blue haori over that with white triangles lining the sleeves. On his belt was a full length katana and a wakizashi.

"Vaun?" Kai asked of the figure.

"Kai." Vaun acknowledged. However, he wasn't distracted for a second as he stepped closer, his eyes on the black cloaked Rare Hunter. "So, tell me, where is Takamori Mudo?"

"Vaun Hiten, what a wonderful surprise!" the man called with glee. "Yes, Master Mudo said we may encounter you, and so has ordered me to give you this!" he shouted, throwing a silicon card at Vaun, who snatched it out of this air without diverting his eyes. "That card holds a map which will take you straight to him." Vaun nodded and then turned his attention to Kai and Kevin.

"And what of these two?"

"Well, I was sent to Duel Kevin Hunter here." the man responded as his Duel Disk lit up.

"And why should I bother?" Kevin asked.

"Because, you need two Locator Cards, which I am willing to bet." the man responded. "My name is Seiji Misen, and I am the greatest Duelist in the Rare Hunter army!"

"Not good enough." Kevin called back. "I can get my Locator Cards from other Duelists, if you don't mind." Kevin replied, turning to leave.

"You don't want to do this, Kevin. You may find it to be rather unhealthy for those you care about." Seiji called after him.

"Are you threatening us?" Kai asked.

"Of course not." the black robed man responded. "I don't need to. You see, there is a satellite setup overlooking this alley, and the Duel we are about to have. If you lose, or should to decline, a certain young woman will meet with an accident." he chuckled, a cruel and lighthearted tone in his voice.

"You don't mean..." Kevin trailed doff, his voice choking in horror.

"Yes, you see, we don't have to threaten your friends here, because we have the one you love." Seiji explained. "We have Sakura Haeru."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

And that is it! Man, that took a lot longer than I expected.

OK, now for the bad news. I have my AP Exams in two weeks. What does this mean? That I will have almost no time for writing over that span of time. Also, I am going off to college this summer for half a semester before the Fall semester starts. As a result, I have a lot of last minute paperwork to do, on top of all my tests. I will try to take advantage of lower class men tests and other such lulls to get in some good writing, but through May, don't expect too much of me. However, this summer I'm only taking a few classes, so I'll be able to get in some good work then, with some luck. Plus, it'll be my own computer, my own Internet, etc.

Also, I would like for everyone to send me any ideas for new Guardian monsters and/or Dark Scorpion cards for upcoming chapters. If you have any, or come up with any, send them in an email. The review system, I'm sure you know, cuts off extra numbers, so I can't tell if you're telling me a monster has 10, 100, or 1000 attack points. So, for the sake of making life easier, send an email. Thank-you.

OK, now we're going to do a little something different. Author/Reviewer Responses. Since you all have been so awesome at giving me reviews, I've decided to give you something in return, so here we go:

Gearfried the Iron Angel: You didn't ask if I had seven siblings. But yes, I guess that it is good drama, although I'm scared to think of how my family would affect the DDL.

MatrixFighter: Why didn't he kiss her back? Because he respects the chastity of women and because he respects the theory of the kiss, in that it is sacred and should be earned and shared with someone you truly care about. As such, Kai may very well never get a real kiss. As for Akuren, yes I know all about that. Noble Paladin wont leave me alone about your story, and I have skimmed the beginning of it. Actually, I skimmed it today during my Aid Period. It has potential, I'll give it that, but it does have its weaknesses. My advice, listen to the Paladin's suggestions.

Blue-Eyes White Knight: Yes, saving the girl is always cool, and I'll leave it at that.

Seeker of the Soul: I'd touch base with you on the Puritan bit, but we've done that enough on AIM, so I think we'll avoid that. However, I can't see what's wrong with respecting a girl enough to not take advantage of her. However, I have trimmed back some of the cards, as per your request.

The Helldragon: You just picked up on the Kenshin stuff? Just now? Alright, who's your favorite character. In case you didn't guess, Saito is my little brothers favorite, hence the strong resemblance between him and Vaun.

Noble Paladin: Kai? Open up? You're joking, right? The guy _saw_ his parents get murdered! He's spent years as an introvert! Open up! Ha, it is to laugh! But no, seriously, as far as that is concerned, you may get your wish after the tournament is over.

G.O.T. Nick: Of course he's confident. Why shouldn't he be confident. Sakura wasn't confident at first, and look what happened to her! And of course they're ladies-men! It's my story, and so I am a sort of god, and so I can do that. You should know that by now! And hidden swords are cool, but now he's using real katanas, so this'll be _much_ better.

WolfGeneral: Yes, it was good. But keep watching. If you want powerful magicians, wait until Kai opens that puzzle box (Devilish Laughter).

Now for original cards:

The Guarded Treasure, Guardian Rebirth, Guardian Raisek, Hammer of Miracles, Guardian Byce, Ryoko Guardian, Guardians Vow, Chains of Mortality, Guardian Tyrol, Effect Seal, Magic Exchange, Guardian's Counterattack, Guardians Restoration, Staff of Chaos, Guardian Kain, Guardians Feint, Guardians Thunder Blast.

From Seeker of the Soul: Guardian Revolution, Tribute to the Holy Goddess, Hand of Heaven.

Magic Field, Galaxy Magus, Gravity Mage, Trap Circuit, Magicians Ordination, Magical University, Magical Interest, Light Magic Attack, Light Magician, Time Magician, Guardian of Time, Gates of Time, Trinity Magister, Learned Magister, Mystic Moon Dial, Atom Sorcerer.


	15. A Life in the Balance

OK, here we are...Again. I'm gonna skip it all because of how tired and rushed I am, and skip straight to the good stuff. This is my way of rejoicing my freedom from the evil which is AP!

But first: To those whom it may concern, Tenken is _not_ a Raphael rip off. Yes, Raphael is one of my favorite characters from the show and Guardians are one of my favorite deck types, but they are not in any way related! It's just that they both use Guardians, and they both try to empty their Graveyards. However, if you look at their reasoning for this, Raphael does it because of a specific love for his cards; Tenken does it because it's part of his strategy.

Also, their reasoning about life is also different...But I'm not going to write a paper on it for you. You'll have to figure it out on your own.

OK, let's go!

**Chapter Fifteen: A Life in the Balance**

"Don't you dare threaten her!" Kevin shouted. "I swear that if you harm her, I wont stop until I've broken every single one of you in half!"

"Kevin!" Kai shouted. "Don't worry, we'll get her back. You deal with this guy, though."

"We?" Vaun raised an eyebrow. "You can do what you want, Kai, but I'm only after Mudo." And with that, the boy samurai turned about and took off at a dead run, his hakama flourishing in the wind.

"Vaun, wait." Kai called after the samurai, running to catch him.

"Why are you following me?" Vaun asked. "I already made it clear that I have no intention of helping you, and I wont allow you to get involved in my battle. This is for my honor and I will fight it alone!"

"You don't have your Duel Disk with you, so you can't access the map. Furthermore, if you help me, I'll help you." Kai responded. "I just need you to help me get past their front defenses. Once we're in, you can go after this Mudo guy, and I'll get Sakura."

"Fine." he bitterly conceded, and the two continued their march for the Rare Hunters hide out, Vaun slipping Kai the map, who inserted it into his Duel Disk.

"Let's go." Kevin seethed, straining to keep himself under control. He raise his arm and his Duel Disk clicked into place. Seiji did the same and both players drew five cards.

Kevin-4000/Seiji-4000

"What's your rush, Kevin?" the black robed man asked. Simply because I kidnaped your girlfriend and threatened her life, as well as made the past two days a literal Hell for you, why are you so upset?"

"Shut up!" Kevin screamed. "I summon Lord of Dragons (1200/1100) to the field in attack mode!" A man in blue robes under dragon bone armor appeared. "Now I play Flute of Summoning Dragon to special summon my Magma the Hellfire Ryu (1600/1600) and my Different Dimension Dragon (1400/1500) in attack mode! Then I'll place one card face down and end my turn."

"I'll draw," Seiji began his turn, but paused a moment as Kevin's Magma began to form a small ball of fire in his jaws.

"Now that it's your standby phase, Magma's special ability activates, dealing you 200 damage!" The small dragon fired, striking Seiji square in the chest and explodig on impact, but not redering any significant damage.

Kevin-4000/Seiji-3800

"Impressive move, Kevin." Seiji admitted as he casually drew his card. "In fact, it's so impressive that I really don't have a way to counter it. I guess I'll just set two cards face down and then summon a monster in defense mode."

"Don't you dare toy with me." Kevin responded as he drew his card, which he simply added to his hand before turning to his monsters. "I'm not going to take any chances; Sapphire Dragon, attack his monster now!" The blue crystalline monster opened its jaw as blue lightening began to form, which it fired at the brown card image before the thief.

"Thank you." Seiji laughed as a man in leather armor and wooden weapons exploded. "You've just destroyed my Recruitment Soldier (1300/1700)!" With a slight chuckle the Rare Hunter popped his deck free and began to shuffle through it. "Now I can search my deck for a warrior monster who's attack power is bellow 2000, and summon it in attack mode." Coming to a stop in his search, the man looked up from his cards with an almost pleasant smile on his face. "Kevin, how much do you know about history?" Taking the other boys cold silence as an answer, he chose to respond to his own question. "Millennia ago, after the Egyptian Empire fell and all of the tombs sealed, there formed in the deserts a group of bandits who became experts at raiding even the most heavily guarded treasuries. So, they chose to give their syndicate a name-one which would always inspire fear because of its nature. A name referring to the silent killer of the desert himself! I summon Dark Scorpion-Gorg the Strong (1800/1500)!"

Seiji's first real monster was a hulking man with rippling muscles, a bald head, leather vest, and a scar over his entire face. In his hands he gripped a long handled mace which was exceptionally large, and what seemed to be a small axe blade on one side. The two most startling attributes to this man were first of all that he was blind, hiding behind two squinted eyes. Second, however, was the black tatoo on his right arm in the shape of a scorpion.

"Gorg was one of the first in the group, and was always the brute force behind their escapades." Seiji began to explain. "And his attack points are much too high for you to attack with either of your other monsters."

"Then I'll end my turn by switching my other two monsters into defense mode." Kevin growled as his Lord of Dragons knelt down and crossed his arms over his chest while his green dragon folded its four wings around its body.

Seiji drew a card as another blast of fire hit him in the chest, but he remained strong, hardly noticing the attack.

Kevin-4000/Seiji-3600

"Then I'll start this turn off by setting another card face down and then I'll summon Dark Scorpion-Firyal the Subtle (1100/1700)." Another figure in a dark brown leather top and red pants appeared, this one wielding a long tube in his hand. "Now I'll activate his special ability, allowing me to instantly change him to defense mode, and as his mode changes, he will slowly begin to destroy your monster, little by little."

The smaller man grinned and dropped to a crouching position, raising the pipe to his mouth. With a quick blast of air into the shaft he fired a small dart which struck the heart of Kevin's attack mode dragon. The dragon began to tense up and shake, which looked very painful with its rigid limbs as its breaths hastened slightly.

"The poison of my monsters darts, made using the venom from the black arachnids for which the band was named, has stripped your monster of 300 attack and defense points (1600/1300)!" Seiji explained. "Now Gorg, attack!" The large man raised his weapon and charged, completely undaunted by his disability, the twitching of Kevin's dragon seeming to make it easier to locate. With one swing Gorg had smashed the head of Kevin's monster, ripping it from the rest of it's body, the brittle neck shattering.

Kevin-3800/Seiji-3600

"My move!" Kevin shouted, reaching for his deck.

"Hold it, Mr. Hunter!" Seiji interrupted him. "You don't seem to understand. While Firyal is subtle, Gorg is not. Not only is Gorg a destroyer, but he's still a thief. So now he's going to take a little something form you."

Kevin's puzzled reaction to Seiji's riddle was answered as his Duel Disk pushed the top card off of his deck. Kevin pulled it free and was about to add it to his hand, a confused eyebrow raised when he was interrupted again. "It doesn't go to your hand, cretin. Gorg is going to take away that treasure of yours and send it to the Graveyard."

"Now can I go?" Kevin asked impatiently. His opponent nodded. "Good. Now I summon Masked Dragon (1400/1100) in defense mode." Kevin's newest monster was a red scaled dragon with a white later of bones over his back and face.

"Wait just a second, Kevin!" Seiji cut in. "I activate my Hidden Soldiers trap card, which allows me to special summon any level four or lower Dark type monster from my hand to my field, so I summon Dark Scorpion-Ata the Code Breaker (1500/1900) in attack mode."

Seiji's new monster was dressed in the same garb as the other two with the same black scorpion tatoo on his right arm, but this one was at work on some sort of primitive apparatus in his hands, shuffling tiles around, as if trying to find some sort of specific order to them.

"I'll end my turn there." Kevin conceded. Automatically, Kevin's fire dragon fired yet another burst, but once again it was seemingly ignored.

Kevin-3800/Seiji-3400

"Then I'll start my turn by switching Firyal back to attack mode, weakening your Magma, the Hellfire Ryu by 300 attack and defense points (1300/1300). Then I'll summon Dark Scorpion-Cantara the Curator (1300/2000) in defense mode!"

For the first time all Duel, Kevin found himself up against a female Dark Scorpion. However, she wore the same style of clothing as the others, only adjusted to fit her more slender body. She too bore the black tatoo, and her weapon of choice was a one handed pickaxe.

"I'll also set two cards face down and then I'll have Gorg attack your Different Dimension Dragon!"

"Not so fast!" Kevin countered, pressing a button on his Duel Disk and his lone face down card flipped over. "I activate Diamond Shield, which will negate your attack and allow me to summon any of my jewel dragons to the field. I couldn't use this last time you attacked because I didn't have a dragon in my hand, but now, partially thanks to you discarding a card, I've managed to get one." Reaching for the card he had drawn last turn, Kevin smiled slightly. "So now I summon-" Kevin stopped mid-sentence as the rigid shield which had originally started to protect his monsters began to crack, and Gorg was still charging. "What have you done?"

Seiji took a moment to respond, his eyes first moving to stare at Ata the Code Breaker, who had an equally satisfied smirk on his face as he stared at the object in his hand, which was beginning to glow with a golden light. Finally, he spoke.

"So long as Dark Scorpion-Ata the Code Breaker is on the field, and card you chain to the attack of a Dark Scorpion with the intention of stopping my attack will be negated and destroyed. So now Gorg, finish what you started!" The mighty man raised his weapon, preparing to crush the monster. However, as he swung down a multicolored wall appeared between Kevin's dragon and Gorg. Once the mace touched it, the steel weapon seemed to sink into the barrier, fallowed by Gorg's entire body falling into it, and stumbling out on the other side of Kevin's monster.

With a smirk, Kevin began to explain to his opponent, glad that it was now the Rare Hunter who was flustered. "Different Dimension Dragon cannot be destroyed by any monster attack which is below 1900 points. Gorg has 1800, which is definitely less than the needed amount."

"Very well, but that wont stop my other attacks. Ata, attack his Hellfire Ryu!" Reaching into his pocket, the cunning puzzle master pulled out a small and old-fashioned, one-shot gun which he fired, the bullet breaking through the thick hide of the fire beast. "That's all."

"Maybe, but my draw has given me something I think you'll recognize." Kevin smiled crudely as he glaced his new card. "I've draw Kings Ransom, which I won off of your underlings earlier today. So I'll pay 1000 Lief Points to then draw four cards!"

Kevin-2800/Seiji-3400

"Now I summon my Vorse Raider (1900/1200) in attack mode, and I'll have him attack Gorg!"

"Not today he wont!" Seiji responded as he depressed two bottons on his Duel Disk. "I activate my two face down cards. First off we have my Attack Transfer Barrier, which will redirect your attack at my Cantara and raise her defense points by 600 (2600)!" The beast monster stopped his charge for Gorg, who had raised his weapon to defend himself, somehow detecting where Kevin's monster intended to attack, even though he was blind. Kevin's creature instead turned his attention to the woman, who stood ready. "Next up is my Destruction Punch, which destroys your monster, even though my monster is in defense mode!" At the last second, Cantara thrust up and used the end of her pickaxe to parry Vorse Raider's weapon and push it up, placing her in the perfect position to strike down, digging her pickaxe's tip into his chest.

Kevin-2100/Seiji-3400

"And now that she has destroyed a monster, Dark Scorpion-Cantara the Curator's ability kicks in, allowing me to draw one card." Seiji explained, giving him a hand of one.

"I end my turn." Kevin scowled. He was losing-badly.

"Alright, now the fun really begins." Seiji explained. "Now I'll show you why I'm the most powerful Duelist of the Rare Hunters!"

Kevin felt a chill shoot up his spine as this was declared. 'How? He only has two cards in his hand, so what could he have that would be that powerful?'

"I summon my Dark Scorpion-Aldin the Assassin (1600/1600) in attack mode." The new monster was dressed like the other members of the gang, only his choice weapons were two jagged knives.. "Next I play the magic card Thieves Treasury, which allows me to draw until I hold five cards, provided I discard my entire hand before I draw, except I have no hand to discard, so I get five cards for free." he laughed as he pulled a new hand of cards free, giving the two an equal number of cards. "Now the fun really begins." he laughed, looking at Kevin over the top of his five cards. "First off is a field magic card known as Dark Scorpion Lair!"

Around the two Duelists appeared the massive hologram of a desert, replacing the tall building around them with decaying ruins from the ancient days, archaic brick pillars all around them, held up by stone walls. They seemed to be in some underground hideout, lit by torches and seeming to have limitless passages of shadow between each set of pillars.

"What does this card do?" Kevin asked, his rage waning for a moment, falling to the strength of his curiosity.

"My Lair has many abilities." Seiji admitted. "For starters, all you need to know is that it will increase the power of each Dark Scorpion by 200 times the number of Dark Scorpions on the field. I have five, so they each gain 1000 extra attack points (Gorg: 2800/1500) (Ata: 2500/1900) (Cantara: 2300/2000) (Aldin: 2600/1600) (Firyal: 2100/1700)!"

I fear, Kevin took an involuntary step back, his eyes wide with shock at the incredible attack force his opponent had put together with almost no effort and with hardly any loss.

"Now I play my Blood Oath of Loyalty magic card!" Seiji declared as he slipped the card into his Duel Disk before reaching for another card in his hand. "Now, take a good look at the picture on my card, Kevin." he instructed, holding the card in his hand still for a moment while Kevin did so.

The magic card showed Gorg and four other Dark Scorpions, one scrawny with a wooden hammer, another was female with a barbed whip, another had glasses and held a short knife with multiple attachments, and the one in the middle, standing with arms crossed and emitting an air of authority, had raven hair and an eye patch over his right eye. Kneeling before these five was Dark Scorpion-Aldin the Assassin, raising one arm into the air, holding his knife while the second arm was extended into the air in front of him, the obvious target of his knife.

"This card lets me summon one Dark Scorpion to the field if I have at least three on the field without the leader of the Dark Scorpions." Kevin's eyes immediately shot back to the magic card, fixing on the raven haired Scorpion. "But they wont be without their leader for long. You see, I'm going to use my Blood Oath of Loyalty to summon him!"

Raising the card into the air, Seiji began to laugh aloud, determined that victory was near. And it would all start with the card he held in his hand. A card of such power and the key to the Dark Scorpions. And they symbol of the rare hunters.

"Prepare to meet the leader of the Dark Scorpions, Kevin Hunter! Prepare to meet the thief whom all others after him have tried to emulate in their looting. I summon the King of Thieves! I summon Don Zaloog (1400/1200)!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"This is it." Kai observed as he and Vaun stared at the crumbling exterior of the building. It was an old abandoned prison in the heart of Domino, and probably hadn't been used in sixty years at the least. "You ready?" he asked, turning his head to find that Vaun had already begun to charge the door, which he broke down with a jump kick.

Rising from the crouch which he had landed in, Vaun turned back to Kai, his demeanor more serious than any Kai had ever seen. "Understand, Kai, that from here on out, you're on your own. I'm after Mudo and no one else. If you want to save this Sakura girl, that's all up to you."

"I understand, Vaun." Kai responded, reaching behind his back and pulling out his Millennium Rod. Kai raised his eyes to his companion upon hearing the samurai boy gasp. "Yes Vaun, it is a Millennium Item, but we can't think about that right now."

"You're right." Vaun agreed, turning away from the golden object. "Mudo," he muttered under his breath, his determination overcoming his awe. "Prepare to die." And with that, the two dashed into the building.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Crying. It's something that people do simply on instinct. No matter where in the world one goes, they will find crying accompanying sorrow. Tears soon follow, splashing against the ground in thick, pounding splashes.

Some feel that women are more prone to cry, because they feel that women are weaker. Whether that was the case or not, it did not hinder Sakura Haeru, who sat alone in a cell, head in her hands, her sobs having dropped to almost silent. Her guards no longer could hear them. Perhaps it was because her tears had become so low that they couldn't hear her, or if they had simply been listening for so long that it had become lost, white noise that one eventually tunes out.

Whether or not _this_ was the case was rather irrelevant to the four men who sat in disturbed boredom in the lower levels of their hideout. It had been their charge to guard the girl, Kevin Hunter's whore while General Seiji dealt with the emotionally distraught Duelist. It had seemed like a cunning and yet simple plan at first, but according to the

reports they were getting over their radios, not everything was going according to plan.

Five minutes ago, two boys, one of them a current target of theirs and the other some brat that their leader, Takamori Mudo, wanted to fight, had broken into the compound and were already past the first defenses.

Not that this was a problem. They had been given orders to let Vaun Hiten find his way to Master Mudo. However, because they were going easy on Vaun, it wasn't possible to hold Kai back because Vaun was clearing his way past anyone who got in his way.

There was a knock at the door, and was promptly answered by the guard nearest, who unbolted it and stepped aside so that the messenger could step in and address all four, who began to gather around the door. Even Sakura managed to make herself stop crying so that she could lift her bloodshot eyes to watch and listen.

"There's a chance that Kai will make it past our defenses." the messenger uttered in a rushed voice. "You've been given orders to transport the girl to another location."

"Crap." one of the four guards muttered. "It was only supposed to be the samurai kid, and Master Mudo was going to take care of him."

"I know. It was unexpected. But we have to ignore that for now and get her out of here. If Kai gets down here and gets her to Kevin before the Duel is over, then it could jeopardize everything!" the page shot back.

"Fine." the doorway guard gave in. "You two help me with her." he barked, pointing at two of the four men before him. "You two get up there and try to help stall them."

Once that was decided up, the apparent leader of these lower ranks approached the cell which held the innocent girl prisoner, a key in his hand and a rope in the other. He unlocked the door, swiftly pulled it open, and he and his companion stepped into the doorway, blocking any sudden mad rush for escape by the girl, who sat paralyzed. Nodding to his subordinate, the leader indicated Sakura, whom the man approached, lifted her to her feet, and then held her tight while his leader bound and gagged her, ignoring her feeble protests, her body exhausted from the abuse it had already received at the hands of these men.

"Let's move." he ordered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kai fell to one knee in exhaustion, panting for breath, the Millennium Rod clutched tightly in his hands. Sweat dropped from his face and slashed against the ground, along with the last few bodies as Vaun struck them at carefully calculated points with his sheathed sword or with the end of his hilt.

Rising to his feet, Kai prepared to move onto the next room, but was stopped by Vaun's arm cutting across his path.

"Kai, he's in the next room." the younger man declared, returning his katana to his belt. "When we get in there, you are to run straight to the other side and get out. Don't hesitate at all. If he tries to stop you, I'll take care of him. But once you get through, keep going. Don't worry about me. This is a battle I've had to fight since before I was born. And if I do lose, you have to get out of here. They should be weakened enough for you to get her out, but don't wait for me, and don't come back for me."

Kai nodded. He wasn't sure why, but for some reason, he felt some sort of compelling force which made it impossible to argue with Vaun. There was simply no explanation for it. Kai just could not deny Vaun this one request.

'Is this is swordsman spirit?' Kai wondered as they started to approach the door. Vaun reached down and snatched up a small kodachi and it's sheath that had belonged to one of the now unconcious men, which he slipped into his belt on the right hand side, separate from the katana and wakizashi.

As the door swung open, the first thing they noted was the complete absence of life within the shadowy room. The walls, ceiling and floor were all dark in color, and the lack of light did little to help. However, Kai noted that Vaun's focus remained on one point on the opposite end of the room.

"Welcome Vaun, to your doom." a voice called out to them, and Kai for the first time noticed the other figure in the room standing opposite them. He was dressed in a similar fashion to Vaun, only his hakama was brown, the haori green and there were no triangles on his sleeves.

"Mudo, it is time." Vaun replied, and with that Kai took off at a fast sprint, his adrenaline in full circulation as he bolted for the other door.

"Now really Kai, did you think I'd let you get to her?" the man asked, drawing his sword at lightning speed and aiming to dismember Kai's head from his shoulders when a clang of metal seemed to cause time to stop for Kai. He looked ahead of him, finding the steel blade in the perfect position to strike. However, near the tip of the blade, Kai noticed was the head of the hilt of a kodachi which had been flung at high speed from the sheath to intercept the attack, knocking the sword back and out of Kai's way.

Ducking into a roll, Kai managed to dodge Mudo's attempt at a recovery, and as he did he noticed Vaun, still standing were he had been, but with his arm extended and the kodachi sheath tightly clenched in his fist, his eyes still on his rival. Kai became deaf to their words as he stole his way through the doorway.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Turning to the boy in front of him, Mudo scowled at seeing the black haired Duelist slip past him, but quickly regained his composure in realizing the level of skill that was evident in his rival.

"Well Vaun, it seems you were holding out on me this morning." he began as he took a step forward and his left hand raised to his swords, stabilizing them for when he would draw.

"How did you draw your sword so quickly with that injury I gave you?" Vaun asked, his tone even and threatening, more so than Kevin's or Kai's. He too stepped forward and grasped his swords, preparing to attack.

"My employer has many resources, such as advanced healing methods." Takamori replied.

"Employer? I should have known." Vaun chuckled stiffly. "A dog like you wouldn't have the intelligence to pull off something like this. So, you've become a pawn have you? And to think I once thought of you as a true rival. Was it under the orders of another that you betrayed the Shinsengumi? Or orders to surrender Shogunate secrets to the imperialists? Was it someone else who ordered my parents killed, and then again that ordered me killed at the temple?" With each accusation, Vaun's steps became more rapid, as did Takamori's. Within seconds, the space between them was closed and their drawn swords crossed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Don Zaloog (1400/1200), King of Thieves, and the greatest monster in my deck!" Seiji declared as a manifestation of the man form his magic card appeared, eyepatch in place, a row of bullets strapped to his chest, a six-shot pistol on each hip, and a sword clutched in each hand.

"Wait!" Kevin shouted, noticing something. "You can't have six monsters in play at one time."

"Normally this is true." Seiji agreed. "However, my Dark Scorpion Lair allows me to summon Dark Scorpions in my magic and trap zones. So now they will each gain 1200 attack points (G: 3000, Ata:2700, C:2500, F: 2300, A:2800, Don Zaloog: 2600/1200)!"

"This is insane!" was Kevin's only response.

"No, it's your defeat!" Seiji responded. "Now I play the magic card, Pot of Greed to draw two cards. Then I'll play my Mustering of the Dark Scorpions to summon two more Dark Scorpions, filling out my zones, and giving every monster on my field 1600 extra attack points (G: 3400, Ata:3100, C:2900, F:2700, A:3200, Don Zaloog: 3000)!"

The last two monsters Kevin recognized as members of the group from Blood Oath of Loyalty. The glasses wearing man with the multi-use knife and the female with the thorn covered whip.

"Meet Cliff the Trap Remover (1200/1000) and Dark Scorpion-Meanea the Thorn (1000/1800). And then tehy each gain the power bonus from the Lair (Cliff: 2800/1000) (M:2600/1800)."

"No!" Kevin gasped as he stared the monsters down.

"Yes, Kevin Hunter. Prepare to lose. Your Blue Eyes White Dragon, your girlfriend, and your life! Go Dark Scorpions, attack his monsters and what little Life Points he has left!"

_To Be Continued..._

And there you have it. Sorry it was short, but I think it set you all up for some good stuff. Kevin's an emotional wreck, Kai's charging into battle, Vaun's true fight begins, and Sakura's terror is revealed. So, what is to come? Kevin's in a bad situation, and he's got an army of incredible power about to run him down. And Vaun is up against an enemy form his childhood, who will reveal many interesting things about the boy samurai.

OK, I'm off, and I got four or more projects (Depending and how my other teachers feel) due over the next few weeks, plus senior finals, so I gotta ditch out for a while. But, I did get this one done, and for overall time spent typing, it's the fastest I've ever done, I think. OK, that's it. See ya.

The Helldragon-Yes, I fought the urge to make Time Mage for months, but finally, as I stood amidst a dangerous writers block when making up some cards, the idea for a Time Deck occurred to me, and I just had to take advantage of that. And it's unfortunate that you've only just now gotten into Kenshn, that it is. I myself have always been an addict and have bought many of the DVD's, that I have.

Noble Paladin-Tenken would mop the floor with the other two! OK, Raphael would be a bit stubborn, but that's all.

WolfGeneral-It's ok. If I had known you were in Finals I wouldn't have bugged you like that, and so I'm sorry. But understand that Tenken is not a Raphael rip-off, he just uses a similar deck.

Seeker of the Soul-Yes, it was one of my favorite Duels as well. A serious pain to write, but a good duel nonetheless.

G.O.T. Nick-It's not that he's a ripoff of Giyan, because I always forget about Giyan. I was trying to make a Dalin-based character when I created Tenken, and so here we are. Besides, Dalin is cooler than Giyan (Who is also very cool), and so I'd rather say that I ripped off Jacob.

Matrix Fighter-Yes, it was a good Duel. Of course, if you want a good Duel, go read thegymrat's story, and then read the sequel under the pen name Seeker of the Soul. It has the character whom I based Tenken upon. Go I say! Oh, and listen to Noble Paladin's ideas for your story. I've gone over it with him, and we both agree that many of his ideas would definitely help the fic out.

Original Cards:

Seiji-Blood Oath of Loyalty, Dark Scorpion-Aldin the Assassin, Dark Scorpion Lair, Thieves Treasury, Dark Scorpion-Ata the Code Breaker, Dark Scorpion-Firyal the Subtle, Dark Scorpion-Cantara the Curator

Kevin-Kings Ransom, Diamond Shield, Magma the Hellfire Ryu


	16. Dragons Rage

Here we go once again. School is out for me, but I leave around the 18 of June for school, so I hope to g et some ore chapters up by then, but I do have lots of packing to do. We'll see. Until then, enjoy!

Also, please note that Vaun's fight scene this chapter is a bit strange. I've never written such a scene before, and so it may seem a bit awkward. Anyway, enough delay. On to the end of Kevin's last Battle City duel before the Finals!

Chapter Sixteen: Dragons Rage

_"Yes, Kevin Hunter. Prepare to lose. Your Blue Eyes White Dragon, your girlfriend, and your life! Go Dark Scorpions, attack his monsters and what little Life Points he has left!"_

As one the eight thieves charged Kevin's lone three creatures. First to die was his Different Dimension Dragon (1400/1500), as all of Seiji's monsters now had far more than 1900 attack points, falling victim to Meanea's snapping whip. Next was Kevin's Lord of Dragons (1200/1100), who was stabbed in the stomach by Cliff. Finally, Masked Dragon was slain by Cantara's pickaxe. Now there was room for the last three Scorpions to finish the job. However, before they could a new dragon, this one blue scaled.

"What's this?"

"You've activated my Masked Dragon's special ability!" Kevin responded, returning his deck to his Duel Disk, his having removed it going unnoticed by Seiji during the Rare Hunter's attack. "When it was destroyed I was allowed to summon one Dragon from my deck whose attack was 1500 or less, so I chose Surge, the Torrential Ryu (1500/1500), who can't be destroyed in battle by a monster whose attack is _over_ 1900!"

"It makes no difference!" Seiji countered. "You'll still lose from the overflow damage!"

"I would," Kevin admitted, his voice level and cold. "If I didn't have this card in my hand called Oppression, which can activate from my hand to switch my monster into defense mode if it is special summoned!" Instantly, before the last few attacks could hit, Surge fell into a crouch, pulling his wings around him and forming a shield of ice all around him, blocking out all attacks. "So now I'm safe."

"I end my turn." Seiji ended, drawing his card from Cantara's effect, leaving him with just that one.

"I'll draw my card, giving me a hand of five." Kevin began. "I'm going to make you pay for what you've done." he continued. "I play Pyre!" Kevin's newest card displayed a large alter of crumbling stones, charred black by the blazing red fire all around it, burning up piles of oil-soaked wood. And rising from this swirling fire was a large dragon, covered in flames. "This card allows me to revive one Dragon monster from my Graveyard for every card I discard. So, I'll discard one card to revive my Different Dimension Dragon (1400/1500) in attack mode."

"You really think that will save you?" Seiji laughed, eying his face down cards, as well as his Dark Scorpion Lair. "I'm untouchable. Each of my monsters has well over two thousand attack points. It's hopeless for you to have summoned that monster."

"We'll see. I'm going to bring your Lair down right now!" Kevin shouted. "I play my Wingbeat of Giant Dragon card, which will return my level five dragon to my hand, but in exchange all magic and trap cards on the field will be destroyed. I don't have any, but you do." Kevin pointed out as he lifted his monster from his Duel Disk and the image disappeared. On Kevin's field emerged a large wyvern of fire, which struck Seiji's field, burning his face down cards as well as his Lair.

"No!" Seiji shouted as the underground hideout burned down all around him. "Damn you, Kevin Hunter! You'll pay for that. I swear you'll pay!" (Don-1400, Gorg-1800, Meanae-1000, Cliff-1200, Cantara-1300, Ata-1500, Aldin-1600, Firyal-1100)

"I'm not interesting in your threats right now." Kevin countered, his voice dripping with hate. "Now that your Lair is gone, you have to send three of your Dark Scorpions to the Graveyard, since you no longer can play them in your magic zone." Gritting his teeth, Seiji picked up Ata, Cantara and Cliff and placed them in his Graveyard.

"Now I play Silent Doom to revive my Lord of Dragons in defense mode!" Kevin's armored monster reappeared, crouching with his arms over his chest. "Now I play Polymerization, fusing my Lord of Dragons with my Divine Dragon Ragnarok (1500/1000) from my hand to form the monster that's going to win me this Duel!"

From the fusion vortex emerged what appeared to be the Lord of Dragons, only from his waist down was a long, golden serpent body. His armor seemed to have changed as well, now possessing a golden sheen and spiked at a few points. "Meet King Dragun (2400/1100)!"

"You son of a-"

"Don't get me started." Kevin seethed. "Now my monsters special ability activates, allowing me to special summon one Dragon from my hand." Picking the last card from his hand, Kevin slapped it onto the field and his four winged Different Dimension Dragon (1400/1500) reappeared yet again. "Now it's time to make you pay, starting with an attack from my Different Dimension Dragon, destroying Meanae the Thorn!" In a burst of rainbow lights, the raven haired Dark Scorpion was dissolved, screaming as she disappeared.

Kevin-2100/Seiji-3000

With a nod from its master, Kevin's King Dragun raised his hand, palm outwards, releasing a beam of fire which completely consumed Gorg.

Kevin-2100/Seiji-2400

Grinding his teeth in frustration, Seiji drew his card, giving him a hand of two. "I'm growing annoyed with you Kevin. So now, I'll set one card face down and then I'll play my Life Slashing Treasure, which will allow me to draw five cards, but I must discard my entire hand in five turns." Renewing his hand, Seiji glared at Kevin. "I swear, Kevin, that you will lose in five turns. Now, let the count begin!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

The clanging of swords echoed throughout the bare room as Vaun blocked yet another side slash by dropping his katana over the back of his hand on the right side. With a grunt of disappointment, Takamori jumped back and took a new stance, Vaun doing the same.

"You know you cannot defeat me, Vaun." The Rare Hunter chuckled. "You still hold to the fighting ways of Saito and Okita, in which I am well versed. There isn't an attack you could launch that I wouldn't recognize, and therefore counterattack."

"You think so, you treacherous hound?" Vaun responded, still full of power and energy, yet cold and focused. "You couldn't be more wrong. Your family left the Shinsengumi long before either leader managed to completely develop their style." With this, Vaun turned his body so that his right shoulder was facing Takamori, shifting his sword to his left hand and bending his left elbow back, leaning his weight backwards, lifting his right foot until only his toes rested on the ground, and reached forward, using his right arm to stabilize the tip of his blade.

"Gatotsu?" Mudo raised an eyebrow. "Could you have chosen a more pathetic move to use against me? Didn't you hear me when I said that Saito's skills were nothing to me?"

"Shut up." was Vaun's choice reply. "It was enough to kill off your brother when the two of your attacked my house twelve years ago. You took advantage of my fathers turned back after your brother fell, and you slew my mother as she fled, clutching me in her arms. If the monks had not arrived the instant they did at the temple steps I would have died myself." Vaun closed his eyes in remembrance and reverence as he relived this memory, but maintained his stance. "But they did arrive on time, and so I lived, and now my life has led me to this moment."

"Those monks were weak, and they died in the end." Mudo responded, a cruel smile on his features.

"Yes, you did kill the four Masters that night, but at the cost of the remainder of your family. I remember it well, as I stood on the top steps of the temple, watching you and four others fight against the five masters of the temple Saito left in Kyoto before passing on. In the end, Master Kido, Master Issumi, Master Hitana, and Master Shiro all died, as did your four companions. You used deception of trickery to slay them, but you failed to defeat Master Heero, and so you retreated."

With eyes now open, Vaun focused on his target, the man who had taken everything from him...Twice! And he had done so with no honor. In fact, it was that absence of honor which had begun this war three hundred years ago, back when the Meiji Era began and the treachery of the Mudo family realized.. "I completed my training shortly thereafter, and Master Heero died last summer." Crouching lower, Vaun prepared to strike. "Now, let use end it."

Kicking off of his back leg, and using his front foot as a spring to direct his attack, Vaun began the deadly thrust developed by Hajime Saito. The wind whipped by, causing his hair and clothes to flare out, but it went unattended. Vaun didn't care about anything except this mans demise.

However, true to his word, Mudo was prepared and with ease he side-stepped the strike. However, that was not the end, as Vaun came to a brisk yet fluid halt and with a quarter twist of his wrist, switched to a side sweeping attack, which Mudo blocked by hanging is sword vertically in front of him. They held there for a moment, their blades vibrating with the struggle.

"You will lose, Vaun."

"And you will die!" came the young mans replay. With blinding speed his stabbed his blade forward, his hilt striking Mudo's blade and pushing it out of the way, throwing the murderous dog off balance, allowing Vaun to drive his shoulder into his opponents stomach. Jumping back, he quickly executed a second Gatotsu, this one stabbing downward, which Takamori blocked by hanging his sword yet again, but this time twirling so as to throw Vaun's momentum sideways and giving Mudo an opening to Vaun's back, but was stopped by Vaun using his momentum to increase his speed and simply alter his strike, completing the spin much faster the Mudo had expected, and using his upper body springs to thrust forward at point-blank range. "Gatotsu Zero Style!" This time, the strike nearly completed, grazing Mudo's right shoulder, having been pushed slightly off course by Mudo holding up his sword directly in Vaun's path, pushing the attack to the side slightly.

The two combatants stepped back from each other, panting slightly to reclaim the breath which they had just spent on such a rapid exchange. Brushing a bit of hair out of his eyes, Vaun smirked as the small smear of blood on his blade, and turning his gaze upon Mudo, who was nursing the wound.

"Well played Vaun. I hadn't expected you to be that fast. But, that is your last. As you can see, no Gatotsu can strike me directly."

"At this rate, you'll die from blood loss first." Vaun explained. "Besides, I have a few more attacks I can try."

"Are any of them like this?" Takamori asked, charging in, his sword angled slightly to Vaun's left, preparing for a diagonal slash. Raising his own sword to defend himself, Vaun stood ready and cut back, trying to intercept the attack, but was surprised to have it retracted back, arched over his head, and then repeated, this time aiming for his right shoulder, but was again pulled back, this time circling backwards and cutting up towards Vaun's groin. However, the young samurai was much faster this time, holding his horizontal sword down, pushing the attack back. However, Takamori merely used the counter blow to increase the force of his final strike in the combination, this one pulling back and arching up and cutting down with lighting speed for Vaun's head, coming in too fast and too hard for Vaun to block with his katana.

"Die!" Mudo screamed...And was shocked to hear the clang of metal, followed by the feeling of his sword sliding down and sideways!

Pulling back, Mudo saw what had happened, and nearly threw a tantrum at it. Vaun had grabbed the sheath of his wakizashi and used his thumb to trust the small sword up, the small weapon's head pushing Mudo's attack off course.

"If that's your best Mudo, then I do weep." Vaun finally said, recovering from the shock of the combination which had nearly killed him. "I weep for every person you killed, because they fell to someone so weak that he must rely on trickery to win."

"Don't judge me, you little whelp! I'm many times the swordsman you'll ever be!" Mudo shouted back.

"No you wont." Vaun stated matter-of-factly. "In fact, I'm going to finish you here and now by combining Okita and Saito's favorite attacks." And again, Vaun took the basic stance of the Gatotsu, but this time with his right hand grasping his sword, and so his entire stance was turned around.

"It cannot be done!" Mudo laughed. "Saito's attack is a single high-powered thrust. Okita's is three small thrusts completed in lighting succession. You can't combine them!"

"We shall see. Now, take your stance." Vaun calmly replied.

"Prepare to die." Takamori responded, holding his sword directly in front of him, pointed straight up.

"The devil take thy soul!" Vaun shouted, springing forward.

For an instant, time seemed to freeze for the two fighters. All sound was lost and the wind halted as they charged each other. Vaun began to push his right arm forward, extending his blade for the kill. Takamori twisted his blade to the slide less than an inch, pushing the blade ever so slightly to the side...

...Directly into his shoulder! Then Vaun spun, slashing the blade outwards, completely cutting the bone and muscle tissue of Takamori's shoulder, and then ending the spin with a lightning fast thrust into the other shoulder, and then one last one into the center of Mudo's chest.

"No!" Takamori coughed as the blood began to surge to his mouth. "How could I-"

"Because you are impure. Because you are a traitor. But mostly because Hell wants you now!" Vaun spat, driving his sword up to its hilt into Takamori's chest. "Now die!"

"I may die, but I die knowing that I nearly killed the entire Hiten line."

"Go to Hell!" Vaun shouted, kicking Takamori Mudo's limp body off of his blade. He then walked over to the corpse and cut off a length of fabric, which he used to white his sword off. "Now rot. You will simple be left to crumble to dust. I will not send your ashes onto reincarnation, nor will I allow even the most pathetic dog to devour your flesh."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Let's move." the Rare Hunter ordered his two subordinates, one of which was carrying Sakura Haeru on his shoulder, bound, gagged, her eyes bloodshot from tears, and her body limp with a loss of hope. No one was coming for her, and soon they'd kill her. And what for? She hadn't done anything to them. Why would anybody be so cruel?

"What was that?" The Rare Hunter leader asked, turning his eyes to the front door, which he was sure he'd just heard rattle with a knock. Quickly he bustled up to it and began to fiddle with the small window. "Yes-" he began to ask, but was quickly silenced by a fist crashing through the miniature door and colliding with his face. As his body rocked backward, the same fist reached forward, opened, grabbed a fistful of the purple cloak, and then pulled-hard-smashing the Rare Hunter's head into the door, rendering him unconscious.

In alarm, the other two Rare Hunter's turned towards the door, which was sliding open, and was young man, about eighteen years old with black hair standing there. In his left hand was a golden stick with a ball on the end and two wings on either end of it. His face was stern and hard, and his eyes were two separate colors, one blue and the other brown.

"Let her go." he declared, a warning tone glazing his voice. "Now."

"Why should we?" One asked. His response came in the form of a small blast of golden lightning striking the floor right in front of him, having come from the golden shaft in the mans hand. Without further reasoning, the two Rare Hunters placed their captive on the ground and began to back away slowly.

Kai rushed over to Sakura and pulled the sheath from his Millennium Rod, revealing the gleaming triangular blade, which he easily slashed through her bonds with. He then pulled the gag from her mouth, and was then rewarded with a grizzly hug from the sobbing girl, her entire body shaking. Kai tried his best to sooth her, rubbing her back in a parental manner and cooing into her ear, but was having trouble getting past how awkward the situation was, since Sakura was actually Kevin's girlfriend.

However, the moment of awkwardness was quickly ended when Kai's alertness peaked as one of the two large Rare Hunter's charged him, using Kai's moment of distraction against him. However, said Rare Hunter was halted by a sword hilt being driven into his face by a blue of white and blue which had leaped from the doorway to intercept him.

Landing in a crouch, Vaun glared at the last Rare Hunter, who was looking in horror at his unconscious comrade, and then at Vaun.

"You should be dead." He stammered, pointing at Vaun. "Master Mudo said you would die."

"He was wrong." Vaun declared. "Now, if you want to go see your master, I can arrange that." Vaun cooly stated, using his thumb to push his blade out about an inch.

At this declaration, Kai's eyes widened as he started at Vaun, shocked to hear that the boy had actually killed his rival. Beaten was one thing, killed very different. Even in his greatest rage, Kai had been unable to kill, yet Vaun had done so, and seemed to passive about it as well. He then turned to the Rare Hunter, who decided that the odds were very much stacked against him, and dashed to the other side of the room, jumping into a cell, and locking himself in.

Without a word, Vaun turned and began to leave, Kai following, supporting Sakura as he went.

"We need to hurry." the bi-eyed Duelist explained. "We have to get to Kevin before he does something reckless."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Now, to really begin my turn." Seiji sneered, looking at his field and then his hand.. "First, I will activate my Dark Scorpion-Aldin the Assassin." The sly thief smirked as he raised both of his jagged daggers which he hurled at Kevin's Different Dimension Dragon and King Dragun. "By sacrificing my battle phase, I can instantly destroy two monsters you control!"

"I don't think so." Kevin countered, a cruel and hateful smile crossing his features. "You see, my King Dragun has retained Lord of Dragon's special ability, and so he will protect my dragons from your effects!" The two knives kept spinning through the air, but were suddenly deflected by a barrier which appeared around Kevin's monsters.

"Very well, I'll switch my monsters to defense mode, and end my turn by playing my Nightmare Steel Cage." Don Zalog and Aldin both fell to crouching positions in front of their master, and a large metal cage emerged around Kevin's field.

"I draw!" Kevin shouted, pulling a new card free and sneering at the metal bars, and grimacing at the high level monster in his hand, which he decided not to summon for now. "I pass this turn."

"Thank you." Seiji responded, drawing a fifth card. "I play the magic card, Forty Thieves and end my turn." On Seiji's field appeared the holographic image of a magic card displaying group of men sitting around a bunch of tables, drinking meed while fires crackled all around them.

"I pass again." Kevin growled. "Now your Cage is gone and so next turn you'll lose."

"Yes yes." Seiji responded, sounding rather annoyed. "Now I'll set one card face down and then play my second Nightmare Steel Cage and end my turn. Two more turns Kevin." he pointed out, waving his five cards in front of his face as a new set of bars appeared around Kevin.

"Shut up." Kevin snarled. "Just shut up and Duel. None of this arrogant threatening or anything else. Just Duel!"

"Why? You've been just as smug." Seiji pointed out. "And if that's the way you feel, than why don't you take your own advice and Duel?"

"Don't get smart, you thieving piece of crap!" Kevin screamed, giving him a hand of three cards. "I pass this turn again, but now your Cage will be gone next turn. Now go."

"Right, I will." Seiji chuckled. "I really don't have anything to do, so I too will pass."

"I set two cards and pass, and your Nightmare Cage expires." Kevin snarled, giving him a hand of three cards. "Also, you have to discard your entire hand for your Life Slashing Treasure.'

"No I don't, because Forty Thieves negates any card discard effect for me." Seiji explained. "Now I play my face down card, Thieves Spirit, which allows me to sacrifice my two Dark Scorpions and draw five cards, giving me a hand of ten." Seiji cackled. "Now, like I said, you'd suffer, so watch as I unleash the Dark Scorpions as a whole, with their powers maximized and you helpless."

"And so you send the only two you had on the field to the Graveyard?" Kevin asked, his eyebrow raised.

"Exactly." Seiji replied. "You see, my monster zone had to be empty before I could play this next card: Dark Scorpion Swarm!" Seiji's last face down card flipped over, revealing an image of all the Dark Scorpions attacking at one time. "By discarding five cards, I can instantly summon as many Dark Scorpions as I can hold to the field from my deck and Graveyard!" With great pride, Seiji shoved half of his cards into his Graveyard and then began to slap cards onto his Duel Disk. "And, because of Forty Thieves, I can have a limitless number of Dark Scorpions in my monster zones, so I summon Don Zaloog (1400/1200), Gorg the Strong (1800/1500), Chick the Yellow(1000/1000), Meanae the Thorn (1000/1800), Cliff the Trap Remover (1200/1000), Aldin the Assassin (1600/1600), Cantara the Curator (1300/2000), Ata the Code Breaker (1500/1900), Firyal the Subtle (1100/700), Nurra the Strategic (1850/1550), Neva the Greedy (1150/400) and, Reyla the Thrift (1150/400), all in attack mode!"

"Sadly, I'm still not that impressed." Kevin responded, eying his face down cards.

"Those can't help you." Seiji responded. "Have you forgotten about Ata the Code Breaker? He destroys any effect you could hope to block with." Throwing back his head, Seiji began to laugh hard, his entire body shaking with im while his Dark Scorpions joined him. "Now, where was I? Ah yes. I'll play a new Dark Scorpion Lair, meaning each of my Dark Scorpions gains 200 attack points for every Dark Scorpion in play, so each one now gains 2400 attack points! Then I'll play three Allied Forces magic cards, which grants every warrior on my field 200 attack points for every warrior or spellcaster on my field, and since all of the Dark Scorpions are warriors, that's another 7200 attack points, plus the 2400 from Dark Scorpion Lair, and that means each Dark Scorpion on my field has just gained 9600 attack points!" (Don-11000, Gorg-11400, Chick 10600, Meanae 10600, Cliff 10800, Aldin 11200, Cantara 10900, Ata 11100, Firyal 10700, Nurra 11450, Neva 10750, Reyla 10750).

"Now," Seiji began, his breath growing ragged with adrenalin. "Now, you lose. Dark Scorpions, attack!"

"Go face down cards!" Kevin shouted. "First off is Dragons Crosscut, which will instantly destroy Ata the Code Breaker and deal you 200 damage times his level!" In a flash, the nerdy member of the Dark Scorpions fizzled out of sight as Seiji's Life Points began to decline.

Kevin-2100/Seiji-1600

"It doesn't change anything!" Seiji explained. "Any one of my monsters could wipe you out, now die!"

"Go Mirror Force!" Kevin screamed as the blue barrier appeared around him, deflecting bullets, whips, hammers, swords, knives, axes, and other various weapons before shattering into hundreds of pieces of glass which then shot forward and pierced dozens of holes in each of the Dark Scorpions, killing them instantly. "I'm safe, and your monsters are all dead."

"No!" Seiji whispered in disbelief. "I can't lose! I'm the greatest Duelist in the Rare Hunters."

"Just shut up and go to Hell!" Kevin shouted, drawing his card. "I sacrifice Surge and Different Dimension Dragon to summon my Tyrant Dragon (2900/2400) in attack mode!" The drown scaled monster he had won from Nick appeared, roaring with all ferocity. "Then I play my Pot of greed to draw two cards, and then my Dragon Armor, which will make the one monster in my hand a dragon type, which will allow me to use my King Dragun's effect to special summon Mystic Knight of Jackle (2700/1900)!" The Egyptian robed canine appeared, but his skin then began to shift to become green and scaley as his eyes became reptilian and his teeth grew. "Next I play my Revival of the Diamond Blade to sacrifice my Jackle to summon my Diamond Dragon, whose attack will be that of my Jackle, plus 1000 (3700/1900)!" Kevin's lizard-hound hybrid shattered and was replaced by a green scaled wyrm with diamonds covering his wings, back and forehead.

"Next will be my Cost of Greed, which will remove Surge, Magma, Divine Dragon Ragnarok, and Masked Dragon from play to allow me to draw four more cards!" As he said this, Kevin's for named monsters appeared for a second and then vanished as he slipped them into his pocket and then pulling four more cards free.

"I remove Lord of Dragons and Different Dimension Dragon from play to summon my Chaos Emperor Dragon-Messenger of the Apocalypse (3000/2500)!" The green scaled and bone armored dragon appeared, roaring in anticipation of destruction. "Now I play Monster Reborn on the monster you discarded with Gorg when this Duel began: Blue Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500)!"

As one, the five massive and insanely powerful dragons stared down at Seiji's empty field, while Seiji himself looked about ready to pee his pants and cry. Kevin, on the other hand, was reveling in the fear and the pride in his five dragons.

"Now my monsters, attack his Life Points directly and end this!" he commanded. Each dragon opened his mouth and began to charge energy or flames. "Attack!" he bellowed, and the five blasts were released, throwing Seiji across the ally, into a wall, and proceeded to burn at his skin, the force holding him up against the wall.

The holograms quickly faded, dropping Seiji to the ground. Slowly he began to rise, rebelling against the judgement of his thrashed muscles. He was about half way to his feet when Kevin's fist connected with his stomach, forcing him to is knees. Then another fist to his jaw, and another to his eye, and then a kick to the ribs, and so forth.

"Where is she?" Kevin hollered. "Where!" Again he kicked, and then some more, each one being accompanied by the question 'where'.

"Kevin stop!" Kai shouted, running up behind the enraged teenager. Quickly Kai flung his arms up under Kevin's, pulling back on the boy, but his greater strength and size had little effect in halting the boy being fueled by so much rage and hate. "Kevin, please stop!" Kai shouted into Kevin's ear, but to no avail. "Kevin!" he shouted once more before flinging the boy to the ground, away from Seiji, who was clutching his sides in pain.

Kevin was back on his feet in a flash, and was about to run at Seiji again when a figure stepped in his way, clutching him in the middle. Kevin was about to run the person over, until he realized that it was not a hold in an attempt to stop him, but rather an affectionate hug. He looked down to see that it was Sakura, clutching him and sobbing into his shirt.

In shock, Kevin's body went lax, fearing that Sakura had just seen the monster he had just me. With a harsh brush, he turned away from her, closing his eyes as tears began to form.

"I'm sorry, Sakura." he began. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to save you, and that I'm not kind at the heart. If I was I-" he was silenced as he turned around and Sakura pressed her lips against his, having to push up on her toes to do it.

Back a few feet, Kai and Vaun stood side by side, arms folded as they watched the two youths kiss.

"So, you got your revenge Vaun. What now?" Kai asked.

"I will continue to train. Now I can start to look for love without fear of putting anyone close to me in jeopardy." he responded. "But first, I must continue to get stronger, and make the Hiten line unmatched." Sighing, he turned to his companion. "Tell me, how'd you fire that blast at that Rare Hunter just before I arrived?"

"Don't know." was the response. "I simply did. No idea how." Dissatisfied, but realizing this was the only answer he'd get, Vaun decided to drop the subject, and they turned back to the two lovers, who were now simply holding each other.

"I best be off." Vaun finally said. "I don't have any Locator Cards, and my revenge is complete. There's nothing left for me here." Turning to go, he left one last note. "Remember, after Battle City, you, me, tea and sake. Until then, farewell."

"Wait, Vaun." Kai called, reaching into his bag and flinging a set of cards at the boy samurai. "Those are your cards. I'm not using them, but you may." The warrior child opened his mouth to protest, but was quickly cut off. "Consider it payment for helping with Sakura. You didn't have to come back into the prison of the compound, but you did. Thank you." With a nod, Vaun was again off, leaving Kai muttering words he hadn't said in years, and that he had thought he'd never say again. "Goodbye, my friend."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

Slowly, Seiji Misen rose to his feet, his body still wracked with pain. The four teenagers had all departed, and so he was left to go out on his own. Here he was, defeated, his soldiers crushed, and his leader dead.

He stumbled through the streets, wondering what he next course of action would be. They were desolate, the Finals on the verge of commencing. Those who had succeeded were on their way, and those that failed had left. As such, it was most peculiar what happened next.

"You vile dog." a voice accused, carrying on the wind. Seiji looked all around, unsure of where the sound was coming from, until a figure in a white robe walked up over the horizon, his left arm alight with a Duel Disk. "Prepare to Duel, and then to die."

"On what charges?" Seiji asked of the approaching figure.

"You dishonor the Dark Scorpions." was the simple reply. "And you are an unworthy thief. As such, I have come to judge you."

"And what gives you that right?"

"I am Nikolas Selket, the Thief of the Desert!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Anyone walking the eastern reaches of what was once Domino City that afternoon would have noticed the burst of light above the buildings, followed by a whip crack, something heavy hitting something else, a wooden object striking, a knife cutting, and then five gunshots. These sounds would be accompanied by screams of horror, then screams of pain, and then, moments after the first sound and one last scream, a thud on the ground would be followed by silence across Domino.

On the streets a few blocks away from where Kevin had faced the Dark Scorpions would be a figure in quasi-Arabic clothes would be seen draping a purple cloak over his shoulder while holding up a set of cards in disgust.

"Fakes!" he bitter spat while staring at the cards. "How dare he. He made an entire set of fake Dark Scorpions, hoping it would bolster their strength. Idiot. He should have known that they are strongest when it is merely the five of them." And with that, he tossed the cards into the air and slashed at them with his hand, causing them to falling in small pieces of confetti, his knife seen once his arm had stopped moving. "Fools!" He shouted into the night. "I am Nikolas Selket, and I will judge those who profane the title of 'thief'!"

And then he was off, trudging down the street, a lavender trophy on his shoulder, his own justice administered, impure blood on his hands, and his one eye focused ahead of him. That one eye which stood alone, its brother long dead and now buried under a triangle of Egyptian leather. And so would he stand alone, and no voice would ever stir him again!

_To Be Continued..._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Well, that was exciting. Man, enough attack points for all of you? Of course, as we all know, Vaun stole the show here. Again, I apologize for how choppy the fight scene was, but I've never done that before, so it was a new experience on my part.

Also, Nicholas Selket is not my character, He belongs to G.O.T. Nick, whose story, Tokyo Tournament, is very good and on the verge of completion. In fact, I hope this gives him a bit more inspiration, as it is dedicated to him, being the devout Dark Scorpion Duelist he is. Go Nick!

And now, for Author Review Responses:

Matrix Fighter- Yes, Kevin was screwed, but not anymore. And yes, here was your rematch, and as you can see, Vaun was the stronger fighter.

The White Mage- Seiji and Nick are two very different people, as you can see. Seiji just uses a similar deck, and happens to be a thief. But their philosophies and so forth are very different.

SulliMike23- As you can clearly see, Kevin not only won, but he nearly killed Seiji.

Seeker of the Soul- HOLY CRAP! I'VE UPDATED AGAIN! Obviously, I am still in one piece, but only because I've had to bribe Nick with oodles of punishment for Seiji, which, as you can see, did happen.

The Helldragon- Fork over the Cyber Jar...NOW! What? You lose the bet! Muahahahaha!

Noble Paladin- Most powerful plans? There ya go! That's it! That powerful enough for you!

G.O.T. Nick- Daggars? No no no. As you can see, there were other methods for that. And yes, it was a cool samurai Duel. But what do I do with the kudos you have given me? The people at the Federal Reserve say they're useless.

WolfGeneral- Dark Scorpions are fun. I myself am slowly becoming a fan myself. And, obviously, Kevin did win, with a combo that I think would make Ryu proud.

Original Cards:

Kevin: Oppression, Surge, Pyre, Magma, Dragon Armor, Dragon Crosscut, Cost of Greed

Seiji: Dark Scorpion Lair, Dark Scorpion Swarm, Forty Thieves, Dark Scorpion-Aldin the Assassin, Dark Scorpion- Cantara the Curator, Dark Scorpion-Ata the Code Breaker, Dark Scorpion-Firyal the Subtle, Dark Scorpion-Nurra the Strategic, Dark Scorpion-Neva the Greedy, Dark Scorpion-Reyla the Thrift,


	17. Gathering

Here we go again. From the sparseness of Rexburg, Idaho, more specifically the college campus of BYU-Idaho, I bring you the kickoff chapter to the Battle City Finals! The good news: It's an update! The bad news: It's only about three pages long. More good news: It's still an update!

I've been settling into college life, going to classes, taking tests, reading books, registering for Fall classes, and all sorts of crap. Also, I didn't even know I had Internet access to sites like till earlier this week. But now I'm back, and with a vengeance!

Finally, after sixteen excruciating chapters we're here. But the question is, where is here, and what is it that's amiss? And what about Tenken's warnings? Only one way to find out, and that's to push on!

Chapter Seventeen: Gathering

The sun was just beginning it's slow descent by the time that Kai, Kevin, and Sakura approached the crumbling boardwalk of what was once the Domino Peer. This was the location their Locator Cards had indicated as the home of the tournament Finals, so all that was left was to wait for the other Duelists to arrive.

Not so surprising, however, was the fact that there was already someone sitting on a bench, a Duel Disk on their arm in its standby position and deck inserted for safe keeping. Upon further inspection it was realized by Kai that the figure was female, with long brown hair, fair skin, khaki female slacks, blouse, and a blue trench coat which seemed to have been designed for her more slender body.

Once the trio was close enough she quickly rose to her feat and approached them, her features silent and firm with determination. As she drew closer, Kai noticed an air of apprehension emanating from Kevin as he released Sakura's hand from his own and swallowed a little.

'The fact that someone could stir this kind of anxiety in Kevin, despite the power he displayed a little over an hour ago. She definitely isn't some ordinary opponent, and that should be expected from a Battle City Finalist, but still…." He allowed his thoughts to trail on.

"Kevin Hunter, I hope you haven't forgotten about our score." She stated rather flatly, her gaze never leaving him as if she were trying to bore something out of him with her firm glare.

"I haven't forgotten, Serena." Kevin responded, his body instantly beginning to calm just with the sound of his own voice. "But, Miss Kaiba, before it's over, I'll be the one with two Blue Eyes White Dragons, not you."

"Kaiba!" Kai half shouted in shock, his eyes sweeping over her frame again. "Yes, I can see it now. You look, dress, and carry yourself much like your great-grandfather did Serena." Kai stated, earning himself her hard stare.

"What would you know of that?" she grumbled.

"I'm a historian." Kai explained. "I've seen a few videos of the last Battle City Tournament, and from what I observed of him, Seto Kaiba carries himself much like you, and you like him." At this, Serena blushed slightly, whether it be because she felt flattered at being compared to her ancestor, or because Kai's ability to so easily interpret her had embarrassed her no one completely sure of.

"Regardless, I'm just as good, if not better than he was, but that doesn't mean that I don't need the Blue Eyes White Dragons. They belong in my families care, and I wont let some kids get in the way. Especially when he doesn't even understand how it is he got his."

Upon hearing this, Kevin's face stretched in shock, and was about to ask what Serena knew when her attention suddenly snapped up and past the three to observe something behind them, which they themselves turned to see. It was a black limousine, it's fine design keeping it rather quiet and so it had gone undetected by Kai, Kevin and Sakura. Coming to a stop a few feet away from the first four duelists the automobiles engine was cut and the doors burst open and out burst four more figures, three girls and one boy, each with a Duel Disk on their arm.

"Well, it seems that we're a bit late," a voice from within the limo commented, pulling everyone's gaze away from each other and to one of the car doors as out stepped a man with white hair and wearing a fine suit. A man Kevin and Kai both recognized from the day before. The tournament organizer, Ouja Monotori. "I had thought picking up the last four Finalists on my way here would speed things up," with that he waved his hand at the four who had sprung from the car. "But it seems you four beat us here." He continued, addressing Kai and his group along with Serena. Straightening his tie and emitting a low cough he prepared to give them their directions.

"Welcome to the Battle City Tournament Finals. I am Ouja Monotori, and I will be directing this last stretch."

"Skip it." One of the young duelists who had come with this man demanded.

"As you wish." Ouja responded, nodding to someone in the car, who must have responded, but none of the competitors could be sure because of the tinted windows. However, and doubt they had was swept away as the water along the peer began to bubble and rumble. Slowly the duelists began to make out the roof of a structure of some sort that was beginning to emerge. They watched in awe as the full building appeared, standing several stories high. It was seemingly impossible because such a structure would have cost millions, if not billions to build, something unheard of since the events that had decimated the Earth.

'Clearly Ouja Monotori's resources surpass all expectations.' Kai concluded, for he alone amongst those gathered, save Ouja himslef, understood what a marvel this was.

"Now," Ouja began, breaking the silence and drawing everyone's attention from the impressive sight. "You will be given two hours to wander freely throughout the compound. You may eat, sleep, adjust your decks, or anything else you think would help you prepare for the Finals. Also, be aware that your current Duel Disks will not be used here." This information earned several quizzical stares from the group. "Understand that this is to serve two purposes. First and foremost in my mind is to prevent foul play in the Finals." This explanation alone seemed to please the masses, but Ouja went on in his explanation anyway. "It is also as part of a test of a newer model my company has designed in cooperation with Kaiba Corp." This news seemed to bring an excited rustle to the crowd, with the exception of Kai, who instead looked to his side to check Serena's reaction, which was simply an impatient stare.

"Now, let us enter my Duel Fortress, and may the countdown begin!"

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Nearly an hour had passed since the finalists had entered the Fortress, half the time they were being given. The latter four Duelists had quickly dispersed throughout the building in excitement. The one boy and two of the girls, it had been learned, were in the fifteen to sixteen year old range, much like Kevin and Sakura, and had been the ones to instantly start hunting down a dining room. The last girl, whose name had been Katrina, was in Kai and Serena's range of seventeen to eighteen, and had declared she was headed for her room so she could take a shower. Serena had also opted to head for her room, but what for no one knew. Kevin and Sakura had stopped in a room with a full entertainment center and were having a mini-date, apparently, and had chosen to put in a nice movie.

As such, Kai was left to himself, and had gone to his room after eating a small portion of food-suchi and miso soup-where he was busy at work fiddling with a small black box, using his thumbs to push the mini tiles across its lid.

"Come on." He grunted in frustration as he tried another pattern. However, the image of the puzzle wasn't very detailed and seemed to have large holes in it. In fact, some of the blocks that did have markings on them seemed to be completely detached from anything else, making it that much more frustrating. "Mother, father, please help me." He begged. If he could at least figure out what it was he was trying to make, he may be able to decipher the pattern. However, as it was, he never would get past this barrier.

Despite the many changes his deck had undergone through the tournament alone, there were two factors now pushing Kai to try and break the lock on the last gift his parents had left him with. First of all was the fact that the competition would now be naturally much stronger, and he had to better organize the deck. But even more importantly was the fact that his deck was changing on its own. The Duel with Tenken had awoken something within him, and whatever it was it was changing Kai's deck, whether he wanted it to or not, and he was opting to be in control of most future changes.

"A duelist who doesn't know their deck doesn't know their true strength." He mumbled allowed as another combination failed. "Wait….True strength?" Kai wondered to himself as he began to recall everything Tenken had said about his true strength. "My true strength….My true power was…." In excitement the puzzle came together in Kai's mind. He could clearly see with his inner eye the different tiles coming together to form a single image.

Without hesitation Kai began to slide tiles back and forth, left and right, and in less than a minute had cracked the code, and the box opened. The expression on Kai's face as he slowly opened the seemingly plain case may have resembled something from a movie long forgotten about buried treasure, when the hero of said story would be setting eyes for the first time on the gold and jewels. Only it wasn't precious stones and metals that Kai was met with, but a stack of cards set neatly into the box, which he pulled out with great anticipation, looking over their names and effects. Indeed, they were powerful cards, and rare ones as well. Without thinking, Kai pulled out his deck and pushed the treasure chest aside, the face of a sundial or clock with a thin cross making up the hands painted in gray upon the lid stared up at the ceiling.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

If the excitement before entering the Duel Fortress had been tense, then it was quite possible that the anxiety of the competitors gathered in the small circular room was causing the entire structure to quake. All eight of them waited in anticipation of what was only moments away. Some were shuffling through their decks, some gibbering excitedly, and the last few (namely Kai and Serena) just waiting patiently for the start.

Kai himself was multi-tasking, part of his brain racing through strategies, some, many new, while the rest of him simply chose to stare up at the high ceiling, which wasn't even really a ceiling, but actually a massive circular skylight, allowing the light of the recently risen moon to sine through, strengthening the light already being given by the numerous lights mounted in the walls. It was a beautiful site, and so he was rather displeased when he was shaken from his thoughts by Serena Kaiba who was approaching him, a question obviously hanging on her mind.

"Miis Kaiba, how may I help you?" he asked politely, but in his still stoic manner.

"You said you have some records of my families history?" she asked, a small streak of timidity coursing through her voice, while a bit more of her voice was given away to curiosity. Kai nodded. With enthusiasm, Serena pulled from her coat pocket a checkbook and began to scribble on it. "How much?"

Just as Kai was about to respond his attention was drawn up and to the side as a section of the wall in the area that would be considered the second floor began to lift, revealing a pleasant balcony, upon which stood Ouja Monotori. "After the tournament is over, ask me again." Kai quickly uttered to her. Irked, but satisfied, Serena pocketed the checkbook and turned to face Ouja.

"The hour has come, young duelists. Finally, after more than half a century, there shall be a new Duel King upon the earth!" This was met with a number of cheers -a good, strong roar for a group of eight, especially since only about five of them were cheering. "Now, the selection for the first round will be completely random." Ouja paused as everyone's attention darted to the walls as eight doors opened, seeming to have just appeared, as if cut from the smooth metal surface. "You will each enter a door. After each door has closed you will feel a small lurch- do not be alarmed. You see, you will be walking onto a platform which will then travel through a small labyrinth built into the walls, being driven by a computer which will randomize the direction you move in. When it comes to a stop you will exit into the first arenas and face whoever is deposited there. The winner will advance to the elevator in the back and be taken to the next room, and the loser will depart the same way they came. The final match will be held against myself in the top level, and be warned that I well practiced in this game." With a slight chuckle, Ouja raised his right arm into the air. "Duelists, enter the chambers!" On that command, each of the eight participants entered a different, and although they couldn't see Ouja anymore, they did hear the last thing he declared. "Begin!"

The doors closed and, with a small shock, the platforms were off.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxx

Up on his balcony, Ouja turned to some of his employees, narrowed his eyes menacingly, and and in a dark voice gave a simple order.

"Round up the Rare Hunters that remain. Without Takamori or Seiji, they're nothing. I never want to hear from them again."

_To Be Continued..._

There you have it. The kickoff to the Finals. But the question is, who is against who? Will old rivalries be settled? And if so, who will fate smile upon? Who will make it to the end? And still, what was Ouja's motivation for putting this tournament together in the first place? You'll find out over the next few updates, which I hope will come soon, but it's not like you haven't heard that before. Now, onto Author-Review Responses:

The Helldragon- Hey, betting Cyber Jar was your idea. I used to have one, but my deck fell out of my locker at school and so it is lost forever. Anyway, aside from that, I'm sure you would beat the piss out of someone who hurt the one you loved, but first you need to fall in love with such a person. And yes, I myself can see such a comic frame, which is amusing.

SulliMike23- I'm sure you would be.

Blue-Eyes White Knight- Don't get to comfortable. Kevin wont always get so lucky.

Noble Paladin- Correction: _Now_ the Rare Hunters are no more. They were really screwed once Seiji and Takamori died, but now the rest are going to meet with some very unfortunate events, if you catch my drift. And yes, the fight scene was cool. In fact, I'm rather shocked that most of the reviews I got focused on Kevin trying to kill Seiji, whereas I had been expecting mostly comments on the fight.

MatrixFighter- Nikolas is cool like it's nobodies business. If you want to learn more about him, go read G.O.T. Nick's story, or go read Seeker of the Soul's "Shadowed Light of My Heart", which is infinitely better than mine. Just read his notes, because he'll tell you were you'll find his prequel (Which Noble Paladin really liked, as well as myself).

G.O.T. Nick- If you're not using that torture wrack, can I have it? I'll give you twelve cents and half a stick of gum.

I figured you'd thoroughly enjoy that. Seiji is dead and Nick's justice is fulfilled. And also, it was twelve monsters, not ten. Just making sure the facts are straight, that's all. Now, get me those Scorpion Cards as soon as is possible.

Seeker of the Soul- Yes, Nick is awesome. Of course, we can't even begin to imagine that we've scratched the surface that is Nikolas Selket. But soon, in the next Arc, we shall!

The White Mage- Yes, Seiji did get crushed, and then killed by Nick, which is always fun. What, you want more of a response? Then give me a bigger review so I have something to respond to!

WolfGeneral- I know Ryu would stomp Kevin, but still, it was quite the move, especially since Kevin isn't the brilliant general that Ryu is, nor does he have all the wickedly awesome fusions like Bahemut.

See ya!


	18. Choosers of the Slain

Amazing. It's another chapter, and it's only been about four days or so. Yes, here we have the first Duel of the Battle City Finals! Sadly, this isn't the greatest Duel I've written, and I really wasn't that excited to write it. But the next Duel will be good. As for now, let's charge on in, and have some fun!

Chapter Eighteen: Choosers of the Slain

With as sudden a lurch as it had started, Kai's platform came to a stop before an already opened door. It had taken so many twists and turns that he had no idea where in the Duel Fortress he was, except that he now stood in a room that seemed to have been made specifically for being a dueling arena. Four walls lines with holographic projectors stood on every side of the plain marble floor.

As he stepped out onto the arena floor he noticed that his opponent had arrived at the same time as he, only they had practically fallen out of their transport. Leaning over and hyperventilating, it was revealed that his opponent was female with brown hair and wearing a blue blouse with a scarf draped like a cape over her shoulders. Instantly the face registered in his mind.

"Sakura Haeru." He called her by her full name as she regained her composure. "It seems that fate has declared that only one of us will get a rematch with Kevin." Nodding, yet still gasping for air, Sakura nodded. Kai raised his arm and the new Duel Disk, this one having more of a rigid shape, like the ones from the first Battle City tournament, snapped together. Sakura made her way to her end of the floor and activated her Duel Disk.

Kai-4000/Sakura-4000

"I'll make the first move." Kai called, drawing six cards. "I summon Steadfast Magician (500/2200) in defense mode." Before Kai's eyes, in a display the likes of which he had never seen before appeared the blue robed sorcerer with the ivory staff. What was so different was simply in how the monster appeared, emerging from a spiral of colorful wind rather than from a group of pixels like with normal Duel Disks. Furthermore, the monsters seemed far more real than those of old. The skin had imperfections, the clothing looked worn through in some parts, etc. It was truly amazing. "I'll also set two cards face down, and end my turn."

Picking up her newest card, Sakura gave a small yelp of excitement and surprise as she looked from the drawn card to the ones in her hand. Finally, she reached a decision and slipped the new card into her magic and trap zone.

"I play Walkurren Ritt!" she called as a massive pillar of light appeared in the air above their heads. "Now I special summon as many Valkyrie monsters from my hand as I want. So I'm bringing out my Valkyrie Sovite (1600/1600), Valkyrie Hildr (1900/1700), Valkyrie Sigdrifa (2300/2300), and Valkyrie Skogul, (1700/1000), all in attack mode!" she happily cheered. "Isn't this fun?"

What sickened Kai most was that she wasn't being sarcastic with that last comment. With eyes determined he watched her field as four women in various types and colors of armor, each mounted on the back of a white steed appeared. The horses pawed at the ground and snarled while the riders actually seemed to be humming some sort of sweet tune to themselves.

"Valkyries." Kai breathed. "The Choosers of the Slain. The handmaidens to Odin. Interesting choice." He knew just about everything there was to know about the Nordic legends of these feminine warriors, having read a number of Japanese translations of old Scandinavian stories, but as for their card forms, he had no way of know what they were capable of.

"They're so pretty." Sakura gawked at her monsters who's appearances had been intensified greatly. "Valkyries, will you please go and attack his Life Points?" she asked, sounding rather childish as she did.

"I still have a monster defending my Life Points." Kai responded, indicating is overwhelmingly strong defender.

"Nuh uh." She called back. "When Valkyrie Sovite is summoned, she instantly destroys one monster on the field." As she explained this, the pink haired Valkyrie kicked her horse, directing it to charge at Kai's monster which she cut in half with a single strike.

"Now, since my four Valkyries were all special summons, I'm going to normal summon my Valkyrie Randgrior (500/2500) in defense mode." The fifth Valkyrie to appear on Sakura's field was much like the others in appearance, only significant difference being that her hair was a flowing silver shade, and the fact that she seemed to be emitting a dome of pure light and energy all around herself.

"Now I'll attack." She called and her four attack mode monsters dug their heels into their steeds sides, lunging forward for the kill. However, before the attacks could get within striking range, a new magician appeared on Kai's field in a crouch dressed in white robes. "What are you doing?" she asked in a bewildered yet whiny voice.

"It's simple.' Kai expained. "When you destroyed my Steadfast Magician, I was allowed to instantly special summon a new magician to take his place, in this case my Immortal Magister (700/1000)."

"Well, I'll still attack." Was Sakura's only response to this unforeseen development. First her Sovite struck cutting Kai's monster to pieces. However, her confusion only grew as the monster seemed to reform, the fragments of holographic light seeming to pull back together. "I think these new Duel Disks aren't fully functional yet."

"That's not it." Kai responded. "When Immortal Magister is destroyed, I can summon another one from my deck in defense mode, as well as draw one card." He explained, holding up a hand of three cards once again.

"I'm still going to attack." She declared boldly and her three remaining Valkyries moved in. Up next were Hildr, who cut down Kai's magister just fine, as did Skogul. "Now Sigdrifa will attack and take away more than half of your Life Points!" she clapped for herself, a bright smile over her face.

"Go face down card!" Kai shouted as he depressed a button on his Duel Disk and the card on his left flipped over revealing the image of a man in wizard clothing pointing his wand at what seemed to be a rip in the air itself. "Magicians Rift activates when you attack directly and have two or more monsters more on the field than I do. I may now special summon two level four or lower magicians from my deck in face up attack mode, but their attack points will be reduced by 1000." He explained as he quickly placed the two monsters he had chosen onto his Duel Disk. "Mirage Mage (1900-1000/1100) and Chaotic Magician (1600-1000/2000)."

"Sigdrifa, attack his Illusion Magician and give me the lead in Life Points." Sakura commanded, her voice maintaining that same bubbly attitude of hers, but holding a hint of annoyance as well.

"I activate my last face down card." Kai called back as the last holographic card image flipped up. "Magicians Ordination will activate now that I have specially summoned a magician, ending your turn as well as allow me to draw one card. So now I get to draw two cards for the last two Immortal Magisters, giving me a hand of five. However, now that all three are in the graveyard I get to shuffle them back into my deck for later use. Also, thanks you my trap I draw again, giving me six cards even before my second turn begins, while your hand is empty."

With a deep frown, Sakura began to lift her Valkyries off of her Duel Disk. "Since your trap made my turn end, I have to now shuffle the four monsters I summoned with Walkurren Ritt back into my deck." She explained, and although he didn't show it, it made Kai smile. It meant that she only had one defense monster standing between him and her Life Points, with no magic or trap cards, and no hand to back it up.

"My move!" Drawing a seventh card, Kai looked over his multiple options. "Fist I'll sacrifice my

Mirage Mage to summon my Guardian of Time (2400/2500) in attack mode," As the yellow robed sorcerer vanished from site it was replaced by one of Kai's newest and most deadly monsters, robed in white and blue and spinning his staff about feverishly. However, despite how impressive the new systems were, this image wasn't as intense as when Kai had faced off against Tenken. "Now I play Gathering of Magics to pay 1000 Life Points to special summon two more level four or lower spellcasters from my hand or deck to the field in defense mode, so here comes my Apprentice Magician (400/800) and Illusionist of the Midnight Star (1500/1800)."

Kai-3000/Sakura-4000

Kai's two new monsters appeared, both holding their staffs up defensively. Sakura herself looked on in fear of Kai's four monsters. Fortunately only two of them could attack, and none of them had enough attack points to get past her Valkyrie Radgrior, so for now she was safe.

"Since I played a magic card, Guardian of Time has gained a magic counter. Then, because I've summoned Apprentice Magician my Guardian of Time receives another counter. And now that he has two, I can sacrifice them to instantly destroy one card on your field and remove it from play." With a flourish of his staff, the Guardian of Time began to concentrate the portions of energy he had absorbed from the two card effects into a single ball of light, which he flung at Sakura's monster, instantly swallowing her whole and leaving no trace. "Now my Guardian and my Chaotic Magician will both attack you Life Points directly!"

Both mages twirled their staves feverishly before snapping them down and pointing them at Sakura, both releasing beams of mystical light which pushed her back against the back wall. This was more intense than any hologram duel Kai had seen, with the exception of his match with Tenken. He didn't think a collection of light particles could carry that much force, or cause the kind of pain he could see in Sakura's eyes as she struggled to her feet. In truth, Kai was surprised that she could stand, granted her small size and obviously lacking his level of physical stamina.

Kai-3000/Sakura-1000

"You meany!" she shouted at him, fighting back her tears and drawing a card.

'Just from one joint attack she's crying?' Kai observed. "These holograms are much more than I expected. Although I don't want to hurt her, I can't hold back.' He returned his focus back to the Duel and the relieved look Sakura was giving her newest card. 'What's she planning?'

"I play the magic card, Loki's Betrayal!" she called as she slipped the card into her duel disk.

"Loki? The god of mischief and who betrayed the gods?" Kai wondered.

"Maybe." Sakura responded with a shrug. "I don't know. I've never heard the name outside of this card. Anyway, it lets me guess the name of a card in your deck and if I'm right you have to activate it."

"What card could you be sure of my having that would help you?' Kai asked. "Every Duelists deck is different, outside of the occasional staple like Monster Reborn or Pot of Greed, but those would only help me."

"Except I know about a special card of yours." Sakura explained. "Kevin told me about it and how it saved you guys when you Dueled those Rare Hunters."

"What?" Kai gasped, instantly knowing which card she was choosing.

"Yep. Hand Rebirth!" With a sigh of annoyance, Kai searched his deck for the magic card before shuffling again and activating the rare magic card, dumping his hand of three cards and drew five while Sakura merely drew cards, since she hadn't had any to discard and summon a monster in defense mode. That ends my turn."

"Not wise Sakura.' Kai pointed out as he drew a sixth card. "Didn't you learn when you emptied your hand last turn? True, you got lucky this time around, but now my Hand Rebirth is in the graveyard, and I doubt you'll topdeck a second copy of Loki's Betrayal, even if it wasn't.'

"I don't need to." she responded as one of her cards flipped over. "I activate Emergency Provisions to sacrifice two of my other cards to gain one thousand Life Points each!" As she said this the two indicated cards shattered and she slipped them into her graveyard. "Both of those cards were called Apple of Freya, and they allow me to draw one card each when they're sent to the grave."

Kai-3000/Sakura-3000

"Impressive move, Sakura. You've tied the score once more, and you've managed to restore your hand. But, I still hold the attack advantage. I switch my Illusionist of the Mighnight Star into attack mode, and Chaotic Magician to defense mode. And, my Guardian of Time now has three magic counters, thanks to you. So, I'll remove your monster from play and then I'll finish you off. However, since your monster is face down, I must sacrifice all three of his counters. Go Guardian of Time!"

As her one monster was removed from play Sakura jumped to the floor, clutching her hands over her head as Kai's monster's first attack blew by her, however she still took Life Point damage.

Kai-3000/Sakura-600

"Now my Illusionist of the Midnight Star will finish you off."

"I activate my trap car, Flame of Rogue!" Sakura called, still on her knees as her last card flipped over and a pillar of blue fire sprung up, halting the attack. "This card keeps all of your monsters whose attack is less than 2000 from attacking."

"Fine, I end my turn."

With a worried look in her eyes, Sakura drew her card, examined it, and instantly cheered up. "I play Twilight Renewal, and since I have no cards in my hand, this card lets me draw five." Pulling a new hand free from her deck, Sakura began to explore her new options. "First, I'll set one card face down and then I'll set a monster in defense mode, end my turn."

Kai already had a new card in his hand when the hologram of her face down cards appeared. Glancing at his Guardian of Time he verified that it had one magic counter from her magic card activation. However, he didn't have any useful magic cards in his hand at the time, so he couldn't get the last two counters he'd need in order to remove her monster from play. However, he did have other moves.

"I set one card face down and then I'll have my Guardian of Time attack your monster!" However, even as he raised his staff, Kai's monster froze as a second pillar of fire, this one a shimmering silver, rose up in the path of his attack. As the mage lowered his staff, the pillar of fire dissipated.

"My Wandering Flame is just like my Flame of Rogue-" Sakura stopped and gasped for air, tugging on her blouse to try and fan her face.

"Only it stops monsters who have over two thousand attack, correct." Kai finished for her. She nodded and then straightened her body up again.

"It's hot in here." she panted. Kai himself had noticed a small increase in heat, but it looked like Sakura was being exposed to something more intense.

'Of course. Her two Flame cards are directly in front her, only a few feet away. When they activate, with the new system as powerful as it is, it'll heat up the air around her. I'm a distance away, so I'm barely affected, but she's directly in the midst of the inferno.'

"Well, I end my turn there, as I can't attack you at all." Kai admitted, keeping his focus on the field, as well as the actions of the sweating girl.

"I activate Graceful Charity." she began her turn by drawing her three cards and then discarding two, giving her four cards in hand. "Next I'll set one card face down-"

"I play Dust Tornado!" Kai called as a pillar of wind struck down on the card just as it was forming in front of her.

"My Solemn Wishes." she lamented. "That would have helped to restore my Life Points."

"Carry on." Kai prodded her.

"I play Gryphons Feather Duster!" On her field emerged a powerful gale which began to sweep away her own trap cards.

"You're willing to give up your only defenses against me for a simple one thousand Life Points?" Kai asked, well aware of the cards effect.

Kai-3000/Sakura-1600

"There's more." Sakura happily replied, having been cooled off quite effectively by the small windstorm that had destroyed her cards. "When Flame of Rogue and Wandering Flame both allow me to special summon a specific Valkyrie each." First to appear on Sakura's field was another horse rider, this one with more decorative armor than the previous few, flowing blue hair, and what seemed to be a combination of a crown and a helmet set one her head. "This is Valkyrie Brunhilde (1800/2000), and she'll be followed by her twin sister, Valkyrie Fridwulfa (1800/2000)." The second maiden was nearly identical to Brunhilde, except she had silver hair, the same color as the flame which represented her.

"Brunhilde will gain 300 attack points for every warrior and dragon on the field." Sakura explained, although her monster remained unchanged.

"Unfortunately for you, Sakura, I have no dragons or warriors in my deck." Kai responded.

"But then Fridwulfa gains three hundred for ever angel and spellcaster you control." As she said this the silver haired woman's sword began to pulse with some sort of inner power, raising her attack points to three thousand, a truly frightening sum.

"Next I'll flip up my Valkyrie Rota (1500/500), who will cut your Guardian of Time's attack points in half (1200)." Instantly Kai's soul creature began to shrink in size, his power diminishing. "Finally, I'll summon my Valkyrie Dritt (1000/1600), who gains one hundred attack pints for every monster removed from play. Since you've removed two of my monsters with your Guardian of Time, she gains two hundred points (1200)." The last of the four new Valkyries was apparently younger than her sisters and had bright red hair, but not nearly as long as anyone else.

"Fridwulfa will attack your Guardian of Time!" Charging forward on her horse the maiden cut through Kai's monster. At least she would have had it still been there. 'What happened?" Sakura asked as her monsters attack dropped slightly (2700).

"I had a few more magic counters on my Guardian thanks to your Twilight Renewal and you Griffins Feather Duster. Because of that I was allowed to remove my Guardian from play for one turn, protecting him."

"I'll still get your other monsters. Now Brunhilde will attack your Illusionist of the Midnight Star." With almost no effort, the blue haired Valkyrie sliced Kai's scarlet robed sorcerer in half, further weakening Fridwulfa (2400).

Kai-2700/Sakura-1600

"Last, Dritt will destroy your Apprentice Magician." Without even moving from her current position, Dritt slashed her sword through the air, creating a current of power which cut through Kai's monster, leaving him with only one magician on the field, but also dropping Fridwulfa's attack points a bit more (2100). However, a new card soon appeared on Kai's field in defense mode.

"A fair move Sakura." Kai complimented as he drew a card. "But that move cost your Valkyrie some good attack points, and they were perhaps your best chance at defeating me. And," he let his voice trail as a new card appeared in defense mode. " When Apprentice Magician is destroyed, she summons another low level spellcaster from my deck to the field face down.

"I'll go after your Life Points next turn, and that will be that." Sakura chimed.

"I doubt that." Kai said, setting three cards face down. Glancing at his two monsters he began to plan, his Guardian of Time reappearing as he did, raising Fridwulfa's attack points y another three hundred (2400), tying their strengths. "I pass my turn with that."

"Good enough for me!" Sakura happily drew a card, giving her a hand of two. "I set two cards face down and then I'll have Fridwulfa attack your Guardian of Time!"

"I'll play Negate Attack to stop your attack and end your battle phase." Kai responded.

Whimpering in frustration, Sakura quickly ended her turn, having no cards in her hand. However, as Kai drew his card she activated one of the cards she had set face down, which displayed her Valkyries resting in a decorated hall with piles of treasure all around them.

"Regenleif allows me to draw one card for each Valkyrie on the field." Sakura declared, drawing four new cards.

"Doesn't matter to me." Kai replied. "I summon a monster in defense mode and then I'll have my Guardian of Time attack Valkyrie Dritt!" Spinning his staff about, Kai's monster moved in for a killing blow that would just about win him the Duel.

"I activate my last face down card, Valkyrie Gondul!" Sakura called as all four of her Valkyries began to glow with a gold light. "This trap card will combine all of my Valkyries attack points for this one turn (6800). You've lost, Kai."

"Not quite! I remove the last magic counter from my monster to remove him from play until your turn starts!" Kai responded, once again picking his card up off of his Duel Disk. "And now you have a choice to make, Sakura." Kai pointed out. "You can either destroy your Valkyries, or you can shuffle them into your deck at the cost of 500 Life Points each. Then again, you don't have 2000 Life Points, so I guess theirs only one answer, so say goodbye to your Valkyries."

"I activate a quick-play card from my hand." Sakura shouted, surprising for her attitude and her small size. "Mischief of the Goddess Time will move time ahead by one turn, cancelling out my trap cards drawback." "Your turn." Kai relinquished as his Guardian of Time reappeared next to his three defense monsters, one face up and the other two face down.

"I sacrifice Valkyrie Dritt and Valkyrie Rota to summon my secret weapon!" she shouted, slipping the two monsters into her Graveyard and slapping one of the four cards from her hand onto her Duel Disk. "I summon Valkyries Pet Gryphon (2400/2500)!" Her newest monster was a large eagle and lion hybrid creature with gold wings and piercing amber eyes. As it emerged from the card it beat it's wings, creating a large windstorm in the arena. "And this monster gains two hundred more attack points for every Valkyrie on my field, so now it has 2800 attack points." With a screech, the mythical beast powered up a burst of light in its mouth, which it fired and incinerated Kai's Guardian of Time.

Kai-2300/Sakura-1600

"Valkyrie Fridwulfa, attack his face down monster!" Charging in and raising her sword the Shield Bearing maiden prepared to strike the horizontal card on Kai's field. As she closed in, said card began to glow and revealed a magician figure in scarlet robes appeared, staff raised in front of him. At the last second the figure uttered a quick chant, creating a small barrier which her monster plowed into head-on.

"No good Sakura. My Guardian of the Archives (1000/2200) has one hundred more defense points than Fridwulfa did attack points. Of course, now that he's been revealed, her attack goes up another 300, but I'm safe for now."

Kai-2300/Sakura-1500

"Your turn." she grumbled in frustration of being stopped again.

"I'll pass this turn." was all Kai could say as he looked at the card in he had drawn, developing a plan.

"I play Maiden of Swan, which will allow me to instantly summon one Valkyrie from my hand to the field!" On her field appeared a pink haired Valkyrie which he recognized instantly. "I summon Valkyrie Sovite, who will instantly destroy your Guardian of the Archives!" On that command the pink haired woman charged energy to her sword which she extended to Kai's monster, releasing the bolt and incinerating his monster. "Now I play Heavy Storm to wipe out your two face down cards!" Yet another typhoon came to life on the arena floor, this one ripping at Kai's two set cards, shattering them to pieces.

"I'll have my Gryphon attack your set monster!" Firing yet another burst of light, Kai's last set monster exploded, leaving nothing behind.

"Sakura, you've just attacked Learned Magister (500/400), who lets me search out a magic card and add it to my hand from my deck." Kai explained, quickly locating the card he wanted.

"I don't see why." Sakura said, looking over her field. "Fridwulfa, attack his Chaotic Magician now!"

"But you can't." Kai explained as he held the card up in his hand. "One of the cards you destroyed with Heavy Storm, or tried to, was Soul Spell, which I chained to your card, switching my Chaotic Magician with a level four spellcaster from my hand known as Alpha Sorcerer (1500/1100) in defense mode."

"Why'd you do that?" Sakura asked. "It can't stop my attack."

"You'll see, come my next turn."

"There wont be a next turn. Valkyrie Sovite, attack his Life Points directly!" With a quick slash, Kai's Life Points to a serious dip as he himself was forced to his knees by the power of the attack.

Kai-700/Sakura-1500

"Brunhilde, attack his Life Points directly and end it!"

"I activate my trap card!" Kai shouted.

"But you don't have any on the field!" Sakura called back.

"It's in my Graveyard." Kai explained. "Voice from the Dust instantly removes one attacking monster from play!" As he said this a whirlwind of sand formed around Brunhilde accompanied by a horrendous shriek, both suffocating her and ripping away at her skin at the same time until she vanished, along with the shrieking voice.

"Fine." Sakura sighed in her frustrated whine. "I play Card of Sanctity, so I draw six cards and you get one." Looking over her new cards, Sakura seemed pleased as she set five of them face down. "Go."

"I will." Kai said, drawing a seventh card. "Now Sakura, I'll show you why I protected my Chaotic Magician. To start off, I'll summon him in attack mode (1600/2000)!" Again the robed sorcerer appeared, staff at the ready. "Then I'll set three cards face down and then I'll play Dimension Magic to sacrifice my Chaotic Magician in order to summon any spellcaster from my hand that I wish, so I choose to summon Disintao-Elderly Mage (2300/1700) in attack mode." From Kai's magic card appeared a thin golden sarcophagus appeared suspended within a cubic frame of metal poles by chains. Slowly it opened and chains reached out and pulled in Chaotic Magician, closing, and then reopening to release an entirely new being.

Kai's newest monster was an elderly man with white hair and wearing a purple set of robes. However, despite his age, he held himself very straight and firm, commanding a sense of authority and power. "When Dimension Magic is activated and the monster summoned, one of your monsters will instantly be destroyed." Kai explained as a dart of magical energy fired from the head os Disintao's staff, striking the gryphon and destroying it.

"Next I should tell you that my Chaotic Magician has an effect. When he is sacrificed for a card effect, he destroys two of your cards. So, I'll destroy Fridwulfa and Sovite!" From Kai's Duel Disk launched twin bolts of lightning, each one hitting a separate target. Sovite instantly burned away, but Fridwulfa had raised her shield to stop the attack, and as such, half of the shield was destroyed.

"When Fridwulfa would be destroyed, I can sacrifice 1000 of her defense points to keep her in play." Sakura explained as her monsters defense reduced to one thousand.

"No matter." Kai said. "I was expecting some sort of interference, so I play my two face down cards, Instant Necromancy and Spell Overlap. This combo will bring back my Chaotic Magician for one turn with his stats reduced to zero. Then Spell Overlap will reactivate my Dimension Magic, sacrificing him again to summon the last card in my hand." Once again the mage who had watched the entire duel reappeared, only to be sucked into another golden sarcophagus and allow another magician to appear. "My Moonlight Alchemist (1500/300) allows me to instantly sacrifice him when he's special summoned to draw cards equal to his level, which is four." Kai's new monster vanished and he pulled four cards free.

"Now Dimension Magic activates, destroying Fridwulfa once. However, you then sacrifice her last one thousand defense points to keep her in play." Kai predicted as he watched the bolt of light destroy the last half of the Valkyries shield, but leaving her behind. "Then Chaotic Magician's effect activates again, destroying Fridwulfa and one of your set cards." The two blasts of lightning struck, leaving only four magic and/or trap cards in Kai's way.

"It's time for me to use Disintao's special ability and discard two non-monster cards from my hand to destroy all of your magic and trap cards." Slipping two of his four cards into the Grave, Kai watched as a violet flame appeared on the head of the plain wooden staff, which was quickly turned into an attack which washed over the field, leaving no trace of Sakura's cards except a few ashes.

"Disintao," Kai called to the mage, who then prepared for and assault. But before Kai could declare the attack, he noticed something in Sakura's eyes: Tears.

She was weeping for her monsters and for her impending defeat. And yet, Kai felt entirely unmoved by this. Despite the pity he may have felt for her in the depths of his soul, his heart as a Duelist beat strong, and overpowered the potential moment of weakness. With only a solemn nod, he declared his attack.

"Disintao, attack with Light of the Eldars." Again the mage aimed his staff at Sakura, who raised her arms to cover her tear-drenched face. Then, in a single instant, a flame of pure light struck her, pushing her against the back wall until the attack stopped, and then she fell to the ground, unconcious.

Turning off his Duel Disk, Kai ran to the fallen Duelist. Her eyes were closed and her body a little bruised, but her breathing was normal.

Laying the girl out on the floor in a more normal position, Kai reached her deck and quickly found her rarest card, a Change of Heart magic card, which he pocketed before moving towards his platform.

'They'll take care of her. I need to get to Kevin soon and tell him what happened. He'd want to know.' he decided in his mind as the doors closed and the elevator-like device came to life.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Had Kai remained in the arena a few moments longer, he would have noticed Sakura's breathing grow almost silent and her body even more lax as a white mist escaped through her mouth and seeped through the roof.

_To Be Continued..._

Original Cards by Me:

Kai- Guardian of Time, Chaotic Magician, Immortal Magister, Mirage Mage, Gathering of Magics, Illusionist of the Midnight Star, Steadfast Magician, Magicians Ordination, Magician's Rift, Moonlight Alchemist, Spell Overlap, Instant Necromancy, Voice from the Dust, Soul Spell.

Sakura- Valkyrie Randgrior, Valkyrie Hildr, Valkyrie Sigdrifa, Valkyrie Skogul, Loki's Betrayal, Valkyries Pet Gryphon, Valkyrie Rota, Valkyrie Gondul, Regenleif.

Cards not by Me:

Sakura- Twilight Renewal (Seeker of the Soul), Wandering Flame (Seeker of the Soul), Valkyrie Fridwulfa (Seeker of the Soul), Disintao-Elderly Mage (G.O.T. Nick)

There we go. Sakura is the first of the Finalists to fall, and a great fall it was. The power of her Valkyries was no match for Kai's magicians. But just wait, cause Kai will soon unlock some more of his full power, which is when the real fun begins.

Now, onto Author-Review Responses:

The Helldragon- Hurricanes...A reason why I never intend to live in the South-Eastern states. Sorry that Matt isn't in the Finals, but as was proven several chapters ago, he just doesn't have the skills. But don't worry, I have a special cameo already picked out for our most hated American Duelist.

MatrixFighter- Ouja has quite a surprise up his sleeve, that he does. And I enjoy knowing that you've been waiting for this time, as have I. As for the match-ups, you'll just have to wait and see, and that's all I'm gonna say on the subject.

G.O.T. Nick- As you can see, Sakura was in the Finals. She still had one Locator Card after she lost to Kevin, and with the swarm abilities of the Valkyries, easily got the ten that she needed. As for Kai, if he hadn't gotten the box open, then Disintao may have never appeared. Think about that.

Noble Paladin- I hadn't even realized that Duel Fortress was the same term you used. I just picked it cause it sounded cool. As for Ouja, you'll have to wait and see about his possible connection to the Sennen Items, as you love to call them. And, as you see, there was no Kevin/Sakura rematch.

Seeker of the Soul- I already answered your one question, so I'll just say this again so that it can go on the record: I will not be naming the other three Finalists because they wont appear at all...Again.

See ya!


	19. Breaking the Habit

And here we go people! Finally, after a great deal of struggle and hardship (Which I've already told many of you about), I've got this beast finished. For those who don't know, the reason is that I had scripted the duel and was well into it when my FlashDrive, which held the only copies of those files, went crazy on me and said the files no longer existed. But, I got back to work, and here it is. It's by far the longest chapter I've ever written, but it is good. This is my way of celebrating my 18 birthday, which will arrive this Saturday, August 6! I'm going out of town for it, though, which is why I'm posting it now.

Alright, I would like to make it common knowledge here and now that the title _Breaking the Habit_ has nothing to do with Linkin Park's song (Even though it is a totally awesome song). The title should become clear to you as you read the chapter. It has several meanings, actually, in that it is referred to in many ways throughout the chapter. See if you can name them all!

Now, onward!

Chapter Nineteen: Breaking the Habit

As his platform darted through the maze behind the walls, Kai's stood with his arms folded in anticipation of the coming match. His new Time monsters had been most effective so far, but their power also intrigued him. Tenken had explained that they were just the beginning. Did that mean that more would emerge as time went on?

Shaking these thoughts aside, Kai began to ponder on a more pressing matter. He didn't know who his next opponent would be. There were six more duelists he could possibly face, but only three of them would actually make it past the first match.

"No doubt Kevin will make it through the quarter finals. True, he's a rather brash young man who's ability to think strategically is less than many other elite duelists, but he does have the cards to pull himself through. Then there's Serena Kaiba. She's a definite possibility, that she is. Then there are the other four. I only got the name of the older one, Katrina Yukimura. Her presence was very strong back when we started, far greater than the other three. Perhaps it will be her."

As his thoughts turned to the young brunette, a disturbing feeling entered his soul. In his mind, he saw for a second a similar looking girl, only much younger. Someone with an equally powerful essence, though less mature. "But I've never met anyone named Katrina. So why am I stirred up like this?"

"Who was that?" he asked aloud, but did not get a chance to think further as his platform ground to a halt and the doors opened, depositing him into the next arena at the same time as his opponent.

_'I thought I was moving around for a while. The program that controls the platforms must not be able to make a choice until at least two duelists are prepared.'_

To his surprise, Kai looked across the arena floor to find that he was, in fact, facing Katrina Yukimura. With a strong expression on her features, she took her position opposite him, staring him down.

To further Kai's shock, he sensed familiarity behind her glare. It was not that he felt her knew her from the past, but that it was much like his own focused stare, calm and calculative. It was a very eerie feeling indeed, and to further such feelings, Kai was again assaulted by the sensation that this girl before him was similar to someone else he had known.

"Are you ready?" she asked as her Duel Disk clicked into place at the same instant that Kai's did.

"I am." was Kai's response as he drew five cards, while she automatically drew six, signaling that she'd make the first move.

Kai-4000/Katrina-4000

"I place one card face down and then I'll summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (1600+300/1000), in attack mode!" she called as her face down card appeared before her, followed by the same scarlet robed magic user Kai had used many times throughout his life.

_'Breaker?'_ Kai asked himself. _'At least I now know that I've never met this young woman before. I've never faced anyone who used Breaker against me.'_

"That ends my turn, Kai." she concluded, passing the turn to him. Without wasting a moment, Kai drew a card and examined his situation. With a sigh, he made his decision.

"I place one card face down, and summon my Breaker the Magical Warrior (1600+300/1000)!" Kai's field quickly became an exact replica of Katrina's, each with one card face down and each with the same monster on the field. "I end my turn."

_'She can't attack me, and I can't attack her, because our monsters are tied and if we ran into one another, we'd spring the others trap. And if I used Breaker's effect, he wouldn't be able to beat her's, and the same if she tried it. A perfect stalemate.'_

"I summon Shield Breaker (600/2000+300) in defense mode!" she called as a monster Kai had never seen appeared. It looked almost identical to Beaker the Magical Warrior, only in light brown clothes and squatting behind a broad shield, much larger than that of the original Breaker. "And like his brother, he gains one magic counter, but his defense points get the bonus instead of his attack." she explained.

"Now I'll use Breaker the Magical Warrior's effect to destroy your set card." she began her assault as the crimson clad swordsman swung his sword, firing a crescent wave of light which passed Kai's monster and destroyed his trap card, which revealed itself to be a Negate Attack. "That will end my turn."

_'Why did she weaken her monster? Is she trying to pull me into an attack so that she can activate her face down card?'_ he asked, eyeing the card in question suspiciously. _'No, there has to be more to it. Her other monster, this new Breaker, it must have a special ability. Breaker the Magical Warrior destroys magic and trap cards, but this new one doesn't seem to have such an effect. If it did, then she would have used it instead of her warrior to destroy my trap card. So, what does it do with that magic counter?'_

"I can't accomplish anything if I just stand back. Breaker the Magical Warrior, attack her monster now!" he ordered his monster to charge the field, sword raised.

"Shield Breaker, activate your special ability!" Katrina countered. "By sacrificing his magic counter, Shield Breaker will direct your attack to himself now! And he has one hundred more defense points than you have attack points!" Upon her command, the jewel in the center of her monsters shield faded and he leaped in the way of the attack, causing the sword of Kai's Breaker to deflect off to the side of his shield harmlessly.

Kai-3900/Katrina-4000

"Very well, I'll set two cards face down and end my turn."

Pulling her new card, Katrina began to stare harshly at Kai. And yet, it was not a punishing stare, but was actually filled with something different. Something very kind and gentle, yet at the same time overpowering. It was something which left Kai rather puzzled.

"I summon Apprentice Magician (400/800) in attack mode!" Kai instantly recognized Katrina's new monster, as it was one he had recently added to his deck. A woman in blue clothing and spiked blonde hair appeared, twirling her short staff slightly. "She will produce one magic counter one both of my Breaker's, giving them each three hundred more attack points, and allowing them each to be able to reuse their effects." True to her words, the jewels in her monsters shields began to glow brightly with the restoration of their magical abilities (BMW-1900/1000, SB-600/2300). "Next up is one card face down." Directly in front of her appeared a holographic card image. "Lastly, I'll have Breaker the Magical Warrior once again destroy one of your set cards." With another rush of magic her monster cut through another of Kai's set cards which revealed itself to be a magic card before it exploded.

"You've destroyed my Repayment of Losses." Kai explained, reaching for his deck. "When it is sent to the graveyard, I get to draw one card." Quickly he snapped two cards off of his deck, one for his magic cards effect, the other to start his turn off.

"You were bluffing?" Katrina asked, a hint of shock in her voice. Kai simply nodded and then turned to his cards.

"I summon Steadfast Magician (500/2200) in defense mode." he began, the blue robed mage with his ivory staff appearing, strong as ever. Glancing at his remaining cards, he began to analyze the situation.

_'I can't attack her Breaker, because she'll just use Shield Breaker to block me again. I could try and destroy her face down card with my Breaker's effect, but that would leave him vulnerable. Then there's her Apprentice Magician. But she set that card last turn when she summoned it, so it's mostly likely been set to protect her Apprentice Magician. No, wait, she may have been preparing for this a few turns ago, meaning that her older set card could be the real trap. I'll aim for that one.'_

"Breaker the Magical Warrior, sacrifice your magic counter to destroy her first set card!" Kai commanded and his monster obeyed, lighting his sword with energy which he used to slash through her card, which revealed itself to be a Shield Spell, a card which would have blocked Kai's attack and increased her Life Points by half of his attacking monsters defense. (BMW-1600) "Breaker, attack her Apprentice Magician now!"

As the red armored magician raised his sword to slash down on the young and weak spellcaster, Katrina's remaining face down card flipped up, and the blonde magician vanished from sight. Once the obstruction was out of the way, Kai could see what card Katrina had used, and he was rather displeased.

"Soul Spell is a quick-play card which replaces one magician on my field with one in my hand." she simply explained, even though it was unnecessary since Kai himself had used the card before. Quickly she chose he monster, which she summoned in defense mode. "You can still attack, if you'd like, Kai." she offered, her voice still firm.

With a nod, Kai made his choice. "Breaker, attack her newest monster!" With a quick slash of his sword, Kai's monster easily cut through the card image, which revealed an old and haggard looking figure hunched over a cauldron. Instantly Kai's Steadfast Magician exploded into dust. "What happened?"

"My monster was Old Vindictive Magician (450/600), who destroys one monster on the field when flipped, so I got rid of the bigger annoyance." Katrina explained as she slipped the card into her Graveyard.

"Perhaps, but you've activated my Steadfast Magicians special ability, so now I can summon a new level four or lower spellcaster from my hand to the field, and I choose my Skilled Light Magician (1900/1700)! I'll then set one card face down and end my turn."

"I'll summon my Spirit Breaker (1600+300/1000) in attack mode!" Katrina's newest monster was identical to the scarlet robed warrior on both players fields, except this one was dressed in navy blue robes. "And through his special ability I'll destroy your set card that you protected last time with your Repayment of Losses!"

"What do you mean by that?' Kai asked bewildered. "Breaker the Magical Warrior is the one who destroys magic and trap cards.'

"Spirit Breaker has the ability to mimic any other Breaker's ability, provided that Breaker is on the field." Katrina explained as her monster slashed through Kai's trap card. (Spirit Breaker-1600) "I'll set two cards face down. My turn is over." she said as she emptied her hand.

"I play Magical Sanctuary!" Kai shouted, activating his magic card. Both duelists pulled their decks free and searched out the magic card they wanted. Placing his new card into his hand, Kai grabbed a different card which he instantly set face down, leaving him with two cards in his hand, one of them being the one he had chosen. "I activate Hand Rebirth!" he shouted, showing the last card in his hand which he had no chosen.

"Now I discard my hand and draw five cards. I was wondering when you'd play that card." she stated with a bemused smirk.

"How did you know that?' Kai asked.

"I know all about you, Kai. Well, maybe not _all_, but enough. I know what memories haunt your dreams, I know why you're dueling, and so much more."

Kai stood back, thunder-struck. Despite how absurd it sounded to him, he could tell that what she said was true. He could sense it in her tone of voice and the light in her eyes. Despite it all, though, he shook the thought free and continued his turn, pulling five cards for himself. He then pressed a button on his Duel Disk, activating the card he had just set down. A magic card flipped over, revealing the image of a stone table with an angel of gold standing on top of it, light receding from the figurine. "Go Altar of Resurrection! This lets me draw two cards and then activate one card from my graveyard, so I'm going to choose the card I grabbed from my deck and then discard: Treasure of the Guardian Goddess!"

On Kai's field appeared the card he had received out of Tenken's charity. A beautiful woman in a black dress with her hands extended and palms open, confined by the green border to the card. "I'll discard five cards and draw two, leaving me with four! Not only that, but now my Skilled Light Magician has enough magic counters to be sacrificed to call forth my Light Magician (2500/2100) in attack mode!" On Kai's field appeared one of his strongest monsters, which was something he desperately needed at the moment.

"Now I can get past your defenses. But first, I think it's best that I summon Sonic Magician (1600/1800) in attack mode, who then gains one magic counter for every magician on my field, so that's three, himself included! So now, I can activate his special ability to wipe out all of your monsters!"

Raising his wand, Kai's newest magician, dressed in blue robes raised his staff and released a powerful crescent of light which crushed Katrina's entire field of monsters, destroying them all.

"Now my monsters, attack her Life Points directly!" Kai commanded as his two magician's raised their wands while his magical warrior lifted his sword above his head, ready to charge the field. Each of them began to gather energy into his own weapon of choice, preparing for the attack which would end it all. Firing a wave of magical light, the three powerful attacks streaked across the field, crashing into Katrina and lifting a barrier of smoke. Kai stood patiently, hoping that his assault had succeeded. "Did it work?"

"Not only did it not work," a voice called from the smoke. "But you've just undone your last move." The smoke cleared, revealing Katrina standing firm, a trap card lifted up on her field with the picture of a man in teal robes slashing at a shadow. To further Kai's horror, he also found that all three of Katrina's Breaker's were on the field as well.

"But...How?" he stammered.

"You're disappointing me, Kai." she explained, directing his attention to her trap card. "Magic Ruler is a permanent trap card which activates when my field is void of monsters and you attack me. I can instantly sacrifice this card to re-summon my monsters that you just destroyed.' she explained. "And also, since my Shield Breaker was back, I was allowed to sacrifice his magic counter to draw your Light Magician's attack to it. You can't attack me now, because you'd be left open. So, end your turn." Kai simply nodded to her, he having nothing he could do with the three cards which remained in his hand.

"Since the turn has ended, I must now pay one thousand Life Points for my Magic Ruler trap card." Katrina explained as her Life Points began to tick down slightly.

Kai-3900/Katrina-3000

"I summon Monster Breaker (1600+300/1000)!" she declared as a black armored Breaker appeared. "I'll then set one card face down and activate my Fountain of Dreams magic card!" Next to Katrina appeared a simple marble fount with water drizzling over it and then cycling back up to the top. Within the water there seemed to be a limitless number of dots of light, shimmering beneath the surface. "Now I'll sacrifice my Monster Breaker's magic counter to destroy your Light Magician."

"No!" Kai shouted as his white robed sorcerer was destroyed in a shower of pixels of light.

"Now that my monster's attack points have been lowered by sacrificing his counter, I can activate my trap card, Card of Last Will, which will allow me to draw five cards!" With ease she pulled the new cards free, giving her a hand of eight cards, meaning she had to use at least two more this turn, or discard them.

"Since a monster or trap card effect has been triggered, my Fountain of Dreams activates, generating one magic counter to each of my monsters!" (BMW-1900, MB-1900, SB-1900) Involuntarily, Kai took a step back as he realized that she could easily overpower his monsters now. "Next I'll activate my Mystic Fount, another permanent magic card which will hold any extra magic counters I produce. And since I just activated another card, my Fountain of Dreams will generate three more magic counters, but my monsters can't hold them. Therefore, my Mystic Fount will absorb them for now." she explained as a larger pool of water appeared at the base of her Fountain of Dreams, adding an extra layer to the whole, which three dots of light fell into.

"Monster Breaker, destroy Sonic Magician!" With a sweep of his sword, the black armored soldier had cut Kai's blue robed sorcerer to pieces. "Now my Mystic Fount will transmit one of the new magic counters to Monster Breaker, allowing him to destroy your last monster, and then Monster Breaker will receive one more magic counter!" Katrina explained in rapid succession as Kai's Breaker was torn apart by the swift blade of her monster, who instantly regained the power he had just lost. "Also, since I just used a monster effect three times, Fountain of Dreams has generated nine more magic counters, one for each of my monsters."

_'Amazing.'_ Kai marveled to himself. _'She's set up a nearly limitless combination that will generate massive numbers of magic counters each turn. I don't know if I'll be able to keep up. If she keeps on summoning Breaker's, I wont survive because she'll easily rip through my cards.'_

"Breaker the Magical Warrior," Katrina brought Kai back to reality as she began her command. "Destroy his last card now!" Swinging his blade down, the red robed paladin who served her destroyed Kai's Magicians Select trap card, which would have been most useful up until she had destroyed his last magician. "And now, three more magic counters will generate to my Mystic Fount, while one of the ones already there will be moved to my Magical Warrior." Kai did some quick calculations, and realized that there were now eleven magic counters in her pond, and it would only grow each time she sacrificed one.

"Now my Breaker's, attack and finish Kai off!" she bid her monsters, each one charging Kai, sword raised.

"I will not allow Breaker to attack me!" Kai shouted, waving a palm over his graveyard, even as Breaker the Magical Warrior slashed his sword over Kai's shoulder. To his surprise, the attack felt partially real, like a really soft pole being struck against his body. Not fatal, but definitely noticeable. His body jerked violently in response to the attack.

Kai-2000/Katrina-3000

Instantly a trap card ejected itself into his hand. "Archmages Judgement activates from my Graveyard when you hit me with a direct attack. It instantly destroys those monsters on your field who have not yet attack me this turn, so say goodby to Spirit Breaker and Monster Breaker!"

"I will not!" Katrina shouted back with a much determination as Kai's voice had had just a moment ago, snatching a card from her hand. "I activate Breaker's Swift Strike to negate your trap card, but my remaining monsters may not attack this turn." The last two monsters paused in their attacks, looked to each other, and then retreated to Katrina's field. Kai looked across the field with as much amazement as he'd ever felt. He'd never known a duelist to bring their cards together so well, except perhaps Tenken. But Katrina seemed to have a certain type of connection with her Breakers, and she also seemed to have a strong will to win the duel. Again he locked eyes with her, and again was overwhelmed by a sense of familiarity. However, that was broken by Katrina's next words.

"I play Sacrifice and Live, giving up eight of the eleven magic counters in my Mystic Font to gain eight hundred Life Points each, so now I gain sixty-four hundred Life Points! Sadly, since it's a magic card that I activated, I don't get any magic counters to replace them, but that's why I left three there."

Kai-2000/Katrina-9400

Kai stared in complete horror at the sight. She now had nearly five times the Life Points he did, and she had complete control over the field.

"Now I set three cards face down, and end my turn." Filling her magic and trap zones, Katrina looked up from her two card hand and fixed Kai with her hard stare, and he was unable to tell if she was trying to bore into his soul, or if she were trying to relay some sort of message to him, or both.

"What's wrong?" Kai asked himself aloud, his fingers frozen in place just above his deck. Then, in his mind he continued to question himself._ "Why is it that every play I make, she counters? It's just like Tenken! What is it that gives these people this kind of strength? What do they have that I don't?"_

As he thought this, something in his memory snapped! In his minds eye he saw it! Those two hazel eyes and that brunette hair, only on a much younger woman than the one in front of him. Someone from his past. Someone very important to him. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember. Those features were strong in his memories, but the rest was so dim.

"Who are you?" he demanded. "Your name is not Katrina Yukimora! You are someone else! Someone I once knew very well!"

"I see that you haven't entirely forgotten about me." she replied, her tone not sarcastic nor bitter, but actually seemingly filled with a sense of relief or brief joy. She lowered her head slightly, hiding her features for a moment, and when she lifted her eyes again, there was a different look about her. She seemed like a child for an instant, full of innocence. That same face full of innocence which Kai had known most of his life.

"Etsu...Akira?" he asked in disbelief, his entire body suddenly shaking with some emotion he was unfamiliar with. He was so overwhelmed with the feeling that he couldn't even think of a way of describing it. All he could do was stare in shock as the memories he had pushed aside came to the forefront.

_-Flashback-_

_"Kai, why do you always carry that card outside of your deck?" the young Etsu Akira asked the juvenile Kai Kaethan. The bi-eyed young man turned to her and then reached into his shirt pocket, producing from it a Duel Monsters card._

_"Breaker the Magical Warrior? He's my favorite monster." he said, simply._

_"But why?" she persisted._

_"Because, I feel that Breaker has a special power." he continued. "Some people would say that because his name is 'Breaker' that he's a destroyer, but I think something completely different." Turning his eyes to meet hers, he grinned. "I think that Breaker can actually repair that which is destroyed. I think he breaks the pride and sorrow around destruction, and so he enables people to overcome the pain and to move on. A sort of healing ability, if you will."_

_"Wow." was the childish response he received. "So, when bad things happen, Breaker makes them better?"_

_"Exactly." Kai affirmed. "Breaker is actually a healer."_

_-Scene Change-_

_"Kai?" a fifteen year-old Etsu asked meekly as she drew closer to the black-haired duelist, who was kneeling before two graves. He didn't make any notion to acknowledge her approach. "I wish I could say I understand how you feel, but I can't." Still, he did not move. "I'm sure it must be hard, and that you feel like your life's being crushed over and over again, but that doesn't mean you have to just lock the world out and keep mourning over your parents."_

_"What would you know about that?" he sharply demanded of her, snapping his head around to face her, a look of malice and grief on his face. "What would you know about losing everything?"_

_"I said I don't, Kai." she whimpered. "I only want to help you feel better. I want you to know that you're not alone, even though you believe you are."_

_"I've always been destined to be alone." he curtly responded, turning back to the graves. "In school I was shunned because of my outstanding studies. As a Duelist I was excluded because I was too superior. And now, here I am, in front of the graves of the only people who ever loved me." In surprise and pain, Etsu took a step back, but Kai didn't notice, nor did he care that he was ripping into her heart. Spinning about, he raised his voice. "They were all I had left, and now it's all so pointless because they were taken from me! I have nothing! Who am I to love now? All I have been left with is this burning pain and rage!"_

_"Kai, there are other people around you, trying to reach you, if you'd only look! But you're too narrowminded to realize it." Etsu challenged his words. "Yes, I just said you're narrowminded! Despite your brilliance and accomplishments, you can't see anything."_

_In surprise, Kai fell silent. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, unable to counter her words. _

_"Kai, you used to say that there was a way of healing a broken heart. Why were you willing to give that advice then, and then ignore it now?"_

_"What? You meant this?" he cried, reaching into his pocket and whipping out his Breaker the Magical Warrior card. "It doesn't change anything! I was wrong! No matter how much I wish it with all my being! No matter how desperately I pray! No matter how close to my heart I hold this card, it doesn't change anything! It doesn't bring anyone back, and it doesn't make the fire within me go away!" As if to prove his point, Kai turned the car horizontal and grasped it in both hands. Etsu couldn't believe it! He was going to do what she thought he could never be able to..._

_"No!" she screamed, snatching the card away from him and checking to make sure there wasn't any damage. Now, without any outlet for his rage, Kai did the only thing he could do: he cried. Right there in the cemetery, with the dark clouds overhead, Kai simply let the tears run._

_"Kai..." Etsu sighed, stepping forward so that she was only a few inches away from him. On instinct, she grasped him in a warm embrace. It was not the embrace of a lover, but more so that of a mother or sister comforting a hurt child._

_-End Flashback-_

"If you can't stop mourning over your parents and return to reality, you'll be crushed by the guilt and pain of them dying!" Etsu shouted to Kai from her end of the field. "Look at you! You may have managed to get over the initial shock of their deaths, but you're still haunted by them, using them as an excuse to keep on fighting! Why can't you simply admit that you can't let go?"

"What are you saying, Etsu?" Kai demanded, though his voice was soft. "Are you saying that...I'm weak?"

"Exactly!" she continued. "What will your pushing everyone away do for them? What are you giving back to your parents? What will you say to them when your spirit meets them after death? That you wouldn't let yourself find happiness because you chose to hang onto guilt and sorrow? That because you couldn't forgive anyone that you made yourself suffer even more?"

"You...You..." Kai was shaken, his eyes wide.

"You've gone through these hard times by blaming everyone around you! You keep saying that it's because of the people you've encountered that you had no choice but to take this road in your life! But that's not true! I've been watching you Kai. I've understood you better than anyone else. I have never been able to sympathize with the torture you put yourself through, but I can still see the world through your eyes. I understand more than you'll ever know about how you feel! You keep saying that you'll win Battle City and that you'll be able to leave that title as a flower on your parents grave, but that's a lie! That goal is simply your way of rationalizing your own frustrations! It's a crutch for your times of weakness!"

"But..." Kai was frozen, memories flooding his mind. Memories of him going out of his way to isolate himself from the world around him. Of his cold and merciless actions as he brutally cut into the hearts of others who would dare approach him with a raised hand of friendship.

"Think about it! Is this what they wanted for you? They're not to blame for all of the efforts you've taken to make yourself miserable!"

"Shut up!" Kai screamed, trembling with anger.

"You're so quick to deny it...You know I'm right."

"I don't want to hear it!" he screamed, grasping his head.

"Why?" Etsu asked. "Do you know how much it hit the rest of the village when your parents died? Do you not realize that you weren't the only one who love your family? Is it that hard to believe that other people may have cared about you, and were forced to sit back and watch in horror as you destroyed yourself? Is that what you're running from?"

"I-" Etsu didn't wait for him to finish this time, and simply cut him off.

"You've let yourself be dragged away from reality! You let time stop with your parents heartbeats, but you've got to let it start again! Before it's too late, you have got to wake up!"

With these words echoing in his ears, Kai's knees buckled and he fell to the ground, eyes clenched shut. Etsu looked on, her eyes full of that righteous fury which had stopped Kai in his tracks. A power so much like the one often found in Kai's own stare. However, quickly her looks softened and eyes filled with a light of compassion.

"Kai..." she sighed, watching him as he struggled with himself.

_'What have I been fighting for?' _he asked of himself, his own words echoing in his mind along with Etsu's. _'What is it that she's fighting for? Did she come here with the sole intent of trying to get through to me? That doesn't make any sense. I simply cannot understand it. But, I do understand one thing: she's right. I'm sorry, mother, father; I kept thinking I could use you as scapegoats for my frustration and pain. But in the end, I suppose I need to fight for myself. I need to realize that every person is their own master, and must find their own will to battle. No, that can't be right. I must fight because this is not just my own life to live. I must battle so that I can keep going forward for those I have left behind! I must remain alight for those who have fallen into darkness! I am strong, and so I must protect the weak! I am weak, and so I must fight for myself! But that does not mean that I must be alone!'_

"Kai..." Etsu sighed, the same way she had back in that graveyard several years before.

To her surprise, he lifted his head, and his eyes shone with a different light than before. Still full of strength and hard with a strong personalized will, yet kind and with a hidden light. Rising to his feet, he held up his Duel Disk, which displayed his few Life Points and absence of cards. However, with a strong sense of spirit, he pulled a new card free, prepared to make his move.

_'That's him.' _Etsu whispered to herself. _'That's the man I looked up to each day back home, all those years ago. And also, the man I-'_

"My move!" Kai declared reaching for his deck once more. However, this time the cards began to glow a bright white, much like they had during his match with Tenken. The difference was that this time was the entire deck was glowing, not just the top few cards. With a new fluidity and calm, he pulled two cards free, giving him a hand of five cards. "Time to restart, Etsu. New cards, new identities, new purpose!" he declared.

"Indeed." she affirmed. "This will be the last time we ever need to battle. Let us resolve the past together!" Kai nodded.

"I summon Chronos-Incarnation of Time (1100/500)!" Kai's new monster was feminine and rather short, wearing pale robes, yet seeming to vibrate with some unseen energy, causing her silver hair to flutter slightly.

"Next up is my Mystic Moon Dial! Time will speed ahead three turns and I can activate one of two effects. This time I'm going to make us both check our third card in our deck-the one we would be drawing in three turns-and if it is a monster of level four or lower, it is instantly summoned. If not, it is placed on top of your deck."

Both duelists fanned their topmost cards in their decks until they felt the third one down within their fingers, which they pulled free and glanced at. Simultaneously they each slapped their cards onto the fields. For Etsu appeared another Breaker, this one in purple robes. Kai's monster, however, was dressed in azure robes and wielded an iron staff.

"Trap Breaker (1600+300/1000)!"

"Envoy of the Archives (1800/1900)!"

"Wait!' Etsu gasped, looking at Kai's field, or, more accurately, his Incarnation of Time monster, who was mumbling something. But that wasn't all, because she seemed slightly older, her hair now extended to past her shoulders.

"Chronos-Incarnation of Time gains 200 attack points each turn. I just made three turns pass for each of us, so that's twelve-hundred more attack points (2300/500)." Kai explained. "Next, because I special summoned Envoy of the Archives, he'll give me a gift from the archives of magical study, meaning I will now receive a magic card randomly chosen from my deck." Kai pulled his deck free and fanned it out with the faces downward. With ease he selected a card, checked it, and then returned his deck to his Duel Disk. "The card I've received is Change of Heart, which I'll use to take Breaker the Magical Warrior!"

From Kai's card launched a woman whose face was split, one side light and happy with golden hair, while the other was shadowed and sneering, an evil glint in her eyes. Flapping her wings, one angelic the other demonic, she took to the air and flew directly into the scarlet armored magician, who spasmed only for an instant before marching over to Kai's field.

"Next I'll sacrifice his magic counter to destroy your Fountain of Dreams!" Kai ordered, his stolen soldiers sword raising in preparation of the attack. "By using his effect, I'll have given you a total of twenty-one magic counters this turn alone, adding them to the three you already had in your Mystic Fount. One of them has moved to your Spirit Breaker, who didn't get a magic counter from his own effect because he was special summoned, so he was instantly charged with one from your Fount. Chronos' effect activated six times, so there's eighteen of the counters, plus three right now. But those will be your last ones, and I have no intention of letting you use many, if any of them. For now, I'll settle for this!" Breaker the Magical Warrior slashed down in the motion which had become standard this duel, this time cutting Etsu's flowing spring to shatter, leaving only the simple basin which was her Mystic Fount, alive with twenty-three points of light.

"Next I'll sacrifice Breaker the Magical Warrior for Tempus-Archmage of Fate (2200/1600)!" Yet another monster appeared on Kai's field, this one in white garments, which consisted of a sort of skirt and a wide length of fabric which had been wrapped around his torso and then draped over his shoulders. His staff was thick and pale, with a small crystal at the head with what looked like stars swirling around within.

"No." Etsu breathed. "Breaker..."

"Poison of the Old Man is my next play, giving me twelve-hundred Life Points and giving Tempus a magic counter!"

Kai-3200/Etsu-9400

Kai only had two cards left, but he now had three monsters on the field and his Magical Sanctuary and Treasure of the Guardian Goddess as well. Etsu, meanwhile, had three cards in her hand, three more Breakers, her Mystic Fount, and three face down cards. It would be rather treacherous for Kai to attack, but if he didn't do something about the Breakers this turn, they'd simple lay waste to his field once more.

"Tempus, attack Monster Breaker now!" Kai shouted. Without hesitation, Kai's new monster leapt into the air and prepared to charge a magical attack as he descended towards Etsu's field.

"Go Magicians Circle!" Etsu shouted as her trap card flipped up and a circular symbol appeared, creating a sort of boundary for the field with symbols underneath the feet of both duelists, emitting an aura of sorts which seemed to freeze time for the monsters on the field, halting Kai's attack and leaving his monster in the air above the field. "Now we each get to special summon a magician from our decks." Etsu explained, although she knew that Kai was well aware of the card's effect. Both players selected their monster, which they then played to the instantly. Etsu's was yet another Breaker, this one dressed in white. Kai's was his purple clad magician who had won the duel with Sakura.

"Spell Breaker (1600+300/1000)!"

"Disintao-Elderly Mage (2300/1700)!"

The two combatants faced each other as the ring around them faded away as its effect resolved. Both now had four monsters on the field, Etsu with her army of Breakers, each one ready to use his effect at a moment notice, reinforced by her Mystic Fount, and Kai with his group of new and exciting magicians of learning and experience who had braved the courses of time.

"Since you're sent me back to my Main Phase, allow me to play this card," Kai stated, choosing one of his two cards. "Pot of Greed!" However, as the holographic image appeared on Kai's field and he was about to draw his cards, the image shattered, stopping his movements and leaving him staring puzzled at the field. Quickly he located the source: Spell Breaker's left leg was forward, his torso bent down slightly, and his sword extended. He merely stood there for a moment more while a dot of light erupted from the well behind him and shot into his sword hilt, returning the magical glow to the blade.

"No Kai, you wont play that card. I haven't yet avenged what you did to my Magical Warrior, so I'm going to lock you down. And with the twenty-one magic counters I have left in my Fount, it will last for some time." Etsu explained, although her voice held no bitterness. In fact, Kai was willing to bet that she was feeling the same way he was. It was a feeling he hadn't experienced in some time, but here and now, facing the only friend from his past, he was enjoying a duel.

"I still gain one magic counter from my magic card being activated, which will attach itself to Tempus. And I can still attack this turn as well!" First to power an attack this time was Disintao, who unleashed his attack in the usual wave of light.

"I still have two more set cards left, Kai!" Etsu countered, her face down card closest to her flipping up and an arch of rainbow light appearing above her head, halting Disintao's attack, turning it into a single ball of light which shot into Etsu's Duel Disk. "Mirage Magic blocks your attack and adds those attack points to my Life Points."

Kai-3200/Etsu-11700

"I wont let you get that much power!" Kai shouted, grabbing the last card in his hand, which he slammed into his Duel Disk. The card that appeared showed the image of a pentagram-shaped amulet shattering. "My quick-play card is called Spell Backlash, and it allows me to sacrifice two magic counters on my field to negate one card effect you activate and deal five hundred points of damage to your Life Points!" Instantly, the lights within the crystal atop Tempus' staff vanished from view.

Kai-3200/Etsu-8900

"Of course, Disintao's attack was still negated, since my magic card only cancelled out your life increase, but I still have Tempus-Archmage of Fate!" Again, Tempus jumped into the air and began to ready his attack, aiming for Monster Breaker.

"I'll activate my last face down card!" Etsu called as another of her cards flipped up and revealed another card which Kai recognized. "Magicians Cross will allow Monster Breaker and Spell Breaker to counter attack you this turn with a combined attack power of three thousand!" The grey and the white armored warriors crossed their swords, their magical energies concentrating at the point of intersection and growing. Kai's monster fired a blast of light, which was met by the combined might of the two Breaker's. The combined attack quickly overtook that of Kai's monster, who's body lurched back with the shock. With ease the attack vaporized Kai's monster, not even leaving ashes to fall to the earth.

Kai-2400/Etsu-8900

"You can't get near me, Kai." Etsu laughed. "I've been at full strength from the beginning, but you only now gotten serious. You're too late."

"The old me was too late, Etsu, but now it's never too late now. I am the Guardian of the Gates of Time, and so I transcend normal limitations!" Kai responded, his body starting to flow with power. "And now you've activated one of Tempus-Archmage of Fate's special abilities!" Kai called as a point of light appeared in the air above the arena where his last monster had been destroyed. "When he's destroyed, his twin brother, Chronos-Archmage of Destiny (2200/1600) is summoned to take his place and seek out revenge!" Kai's new monster was dressed exactly the same as Tempus, only in black.

"Oh no..." Etsu uttered, her voice slightly shaken.

"Chronos, avenge your brother! Attack Monster Breaker now!" Just like the one before him, Chronos leapt into the air and prepared his attack. This time there would be nothing to stop it or to save the grey armored warrior, who disappeared in a flash of black light.

Kai-2400/Etsu-8600

"Chronos-Incarnation of Time, attack Spell Breaker!" Raising a hand out to point at the white armored warrior, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Instantly the warrior was surrounded in a pillar of light, and as he stood there he began to age before their eyes, crumbling to dust.

Kai-2400/Etsu-8200

"My turn is over." he declared. He now had the field advantage, but he was out of cards, while Etsu was pulling a fourth into her hand.

"I play Breaker's Stealth Attack." On her field appeared a continuous magic card depicting Breaker the Magical Warrior standing in a crouch with his sword extended forward while a figure behind him grasped its stomach in shock and pain. "I'll also set two cards face down and end my turn."

Drawing two cards, Kai began to ponder his available moves. "First off, since both of our turns have passed, my Incarnation of Time has gained an extra 400 attack points (2700). I set one card face down nd then I'll have my monsters attack!" As one, Disintao, Chronos-Archmage of Destiny, Envoy of the Archives, and Chronos-Incarnation of Time began to unleash their unbridled fury. The attack came in the form of a ball of black light, a wave of white light, a number of lighting bolts in one stream, and a small ball of purple magical energy speeding towards her. A cloud of smoke followed, completely obscuring her from view.

However, when it cleared, Kai was surprised to see two trap cards face up on the field, and two shimmering barriers-one gold and the other silver-overlapping each other in front of her monsters.

"Astral Barrier," Kai noted the gold field of energy which had saved her monsters by directing the damage to her. "And Spirit Barrier." he noted the trap which had saved her from receiving damage since she had monsters on the field. "Good move." he admitted. "Very well, I'll end my turn there."

"I think perhaps I should help us both out. Card of Sanctity!" Etsu called, activating the magic card and allowing them to both draw five cards. With that smirk which was so characteristic of herself and Kai she chose her card and slapped it onto her field. "First off is my Soul Breaker (1600+300/1000)!" Her newest Breaker was dressed in green and stood proudly next to his comrades in purple and navy blue robes.

"What is your plan, Etsu?" Kai asked. He had never dueled her before, as she hadn't been very confident in her skills a few years ago and had refused his challenges. Plus, the fact that he'd never seen or heard of a Breaker deck before, he wasn't sure what to expect. However, she seemed to have picked up on many of his own prized traits in their years growing up together, and he knew she wasn't a fool. She definitely had a plan.

"It's time I finish this duel by using my Life Assault Loop." she explained, motioning to her pool behind her, her face up magic card beside her, and the dark blue and green armored warriors.

"Life Assault Loop?" Kai asked aloud.

"Yes. I have twenty magic counters left in my Mystic Fount." she began to explicate. "With Breaker's Stealth Attack in effect, you'll lose two hundred Life Points each time one of my Breaker's effects activates. And with these two here," she took a second to nod at the two monsters. "Are going deal you quite a bit of damage."

"How is that?"

"Spirit Breaker can mimic the effects of another Breaker on the field. Soul Breaker can mimic a Breaker in my graveyard. So, I'll first have my two Breaker's sacrifice their current counters; Soul Breaker will mimic Monster Breaker while Spirit Breaker mimics Soul Breaker using Monster Breaker's effect. As such, that counts as five Breaker effects going off, dealing you one thousand damage. My Mystic Fount the instantly recharges them, and they'll do it two more times, and I'll be left with sixteen counters in the end."

Four magic counters launched out of the well and dashed into the swords of Etsu's two monsters, each of whom was preparing for their attacks. Instantly their blades were decorated with two dots of light a piece on their weapons as they swung, the force of their attacks launching the four new lights, plus the two from their hilts at Kai all at once. Each counter tore through one of his monsters and continued to him.

"You're not the only one who can rebuke death, Etsu!" Kai called as his lone face down card flipped up. A disc with four arms opened up before him, using it's spinning motion to bat the lights away so that they deflected harmlessly into the ground. "Ring of Defense has protected me here and now."

"Well played." Etsu laughed with a bright smile. "Well, I wont waste any more counters this turn, so I'll set two cards face down and then I'll activate my Effect Economics magic card, which will prevent either of use from needing to pay Life Points for any card effects." she explained as the three cards appeared. "End."

"I do not think playing that card was very wise, Etsu." Kai said, drawing so that he held eight cards. "Not having to pay Life Points will ease my burden greatly, since I was so low." He chose a card. "You may think that destroying my monsters was an accomplishment, but it wasn't. I can recover, all I need is time." He shoved the card into his Duel Disk. "Dark Magic Curtain would normally cost half of my Life Points, but now it's free, so I'll summon my Dark Magician (2500/2100) from my deck to the field." With a flourish the purple clad wizard appeared, ready for battle. "And next is this card, Light Magic Curtain! Like it's dark counterpart, it would normally cost half of my Life Points, but again, your card has prevented that, and so I can now revive my Light Magician (2500/2100)." Kai now had his two strongest base monsters on the field, standing like brothers, back to back.

"But the Magic Curtain cards prevent you from extra summons for the turn." Etsu said in disbelief. "How did you play both in one turn?"

"One of Light Magician's purposes is to make it easier to play with the Dark Magician. Light Magic Curtain specifically states that it can overrule that ruling from the Dark Magic Curtain, meaning I can summon them both this turn, but no further summons this turn. That's why I'm going to play this magic card," he took one of the remaining six cards from his hand. "Mischief of the Goddess Time will speed time ahead one turn, meaning I can once again summon this turn." His next monster was in platinum robes and wielded a golden staff. "Master of the Archives (1900/1200). Since I didn't summon him through my Guardian and Envoy's effect, I wont get the Life Points, but that's hardly my concern. Right now, I want his normal summon ability, which allows me to choose any magic card in my deck and place it in my hand." Within a few seconds, Kai had his card chosen and his deck back in place. "Now, I play my Dark Magic card, which requires that I have a Dark Magician in play in order to activate it, but it'll destroy all of your magic and trap cards, including your Barrier combination!"

The mage raised his stave above his head as dark energy swarmed to it, which it then released, descending on Etsu's cards like a rain of light. The barriers soon crumbled, too weak to stay standing with the number of holes now punctured in them. Her Effect Economics card also disappeared, obliterated by Kai's magic assault, as was her Mystic Fount.

"Dark Magician and Light Magician, attack and destroy her Spirit Breaker and Soul Breaker!" Kai commanded. Both magicians raised their staffs and fired an individual beam of light which struck its target head on, disintegrating them.

At least, that would have been the case, had one of her set cards flipped up. It revealed a group of Breakers standing tall amongst a number of hunched over forms in a dark field. A large ray of light shining over the Breakers, protecting them from the shadows.

"Breaker Light protects my Breakers from being destroyed in battle this turn, after I give up three magic counters, which I will take from my Breakers." Each of the three warriors raised his sword and fired the energy of his own magic counter from the tip into the sky. However, this did come at the cost of weakening each of them to their base stats (1600/1000 x3). The three lights collided in the air above, creating a small explosion and then releasing a pillar of light to surround the three Breakers. In that instant, they seemed to become translucent, and the two magical attacks passed right through.

Kai-2400/Etsu-7000

"I see that you still take damage, though." Kai observed as Etsu's Life Points dropped slightly. "But your monsters aren't safe from my magic cards, and because my Magical Sanctuary is active, I can now play normal magic cards as if they were quick-plays, so my Thousand Knives will now cut your Soul Breaker to ribbons!" In the air al around the Dark Magician appeared a plethora of steel knives, which the magician flung at Etsu's monster with a wave of his wand.

Much to the disgust of the two duelists, it seemed that the new holograms were more advanced than they thought, as they could hear the sound of metal ripping through flesh and bone, and saw the figure keel over in anguish.

Shaking the nausea down, Kai lifted his eyes again to give a command. "I'll set two cards face down and end my turn." Kai completed, slipping the cards into his Duel Disk. He now had three monsters on his field, two face up cards, and two face down cards, while Etsu had only her two set cards.

Drawing a third card into her hand, Etsu began to plan. Of course, creating a strategy took a total of about two seconds, as her new card seemed to somehow inspire a great deal of zeal within her.

"I play my field magic card, Breaker Temple!" Behind her rose a large structure of pure white marble. There were two towards with triangular tops, while a high wall surrounded the entire structure and hid further details from their view. Each of the Breakers seemed happy to see this structure appear, their faces lifted up with looks of relief. "This is the home to the Breaker clan and doubles as the school where they learn both the arts of magic and of battle, hence the two towers, each one specializing in one of the two."

"So, what power does your field card give to your Breakers?" Kai asked, much more curious and anxious than he was afraid.

"First, it will grant each of my Breakers an attack increase of three hundred (1900/1000 x2). Next, once during my Main Phase, if a Breaker has no magic counters on him, the Temple's energies will restore that power, as it will right now." From the eastern temple windows launched two bolts of light, each one surging into the blade of a Breaker, further raising their attack points (2200/1000 x2). "And now my Breaker's limit of on magic counters is increased to three which they can hold, rather than just one."

"Truly impressive." Kai marveled. Indeed, this field card had many more powers than his own Gates of Time, and each one was equally deadly when used effectively, as Etsu was doing. "But will that power alone be enough to beat me? I still hold the attack advantage."

"Whether it is or not has yet to be determined." Etsu responded, reciting an old proverb. "For now, I will summon my Breaker Blader (1600+600/1000) in attack mode." Her newest Breaker was the first one to be distinctly different from her others in terms of appearance. Not only was its armor gray, but its sword was finely serrated. "Then, my final magic card is called Breaker Archives, and it instantly sets all Breaker's to their max number of magic counters they can hold, meaning they'll each now hold three counters (2800/1000 x3)." Stepping back in surprise, Kai gasped at the power the three monsters now had. "Now, I'll have each Breaker attack your monsters!"

Each Breaker lifted his sword to attack Kai's monsters. Kai's eyes shifted uneasily towards his set cards. _'I can't use my trap card, since I'm sure that Trap Breaker's effect is just like Spell Breaker's, meaning she could use it to negate it. But, I do have another card I can play.'_

Spirit Breaker was the first to hit, cutting Dark Magician in half with a downward slash, the two pieces beginning to fall away from each other just as the image disappeared, thankfully. Kai wasn't sure if he or Etsu was very interested at the moment in seeing the insides of his monster.

Kai-2100/Etsu-7000

"Go face down card!" Kai called. "Magic Field activates once you deal Life Point damage to me, and instantly ends all attacks this turn." he explained as an aura of light began to radiate from him and his monsters. Wiping sweat from his brow, he breathed in deeply. "This is quite the duel, Etsu. I'm sad to say that this is the first one I've enjoyed since I was a little boy. However, we're both running low on cards and energy."

"True." Etsu admitted, stretching a little and taking a few deep breaths. "Which is why I'll have end this soon."

"You underestimate my true power, Etsu. That can be dangerous."

"I don't underestimate you Kai. I didn't say that I _would _end it here and now, but that it does need to be ended. But I wonder what it is that's making this duel seem to strenuous. Neither of us has receive much of a direct attack, yet we're both starting to feel the effects."

"Do not forget that this is the second consecutive bout we're each facing within a two hour time span. No doubt we both lost a great deal of stamina in our earlier matches."

"True." Etsu nodded. "So let's stop wasting time and breath on talking, and get back to ending this."

"I agree."

"Good, then it's time I accessed the final power of my Temple." Etsu explained. "I sacrifice magic counters to the level of a Breaker in the field plus one, and can then revive it, so I will give up all of Breaker Blader's counters (1900/1000), plus one from Spirit Breaker and one from Trap Breaker (2500/1000 x2) to revive my Monster Breaker (1900+300/1000), who will be considered normal summoned, giving him his base magic counter." The serrated sword released three dots of light, plus one from the dark blue and purple armored Breakers. All five then dashed about in all directions for a moment above their heads before smashing into Etsu's graveyard. A card spat itself out onto the field, and the black armored Breaker appeared.

"Monster Breaker, destroy Light Magician!" Once more, with a wave of his sword, the black armored warrior obliterated Kai's last strong monster. "And now, since it's my second Main Phase, my Temple can generate one magic counter for Monster Breaker, since he hasn't been without a counter this turn. So, I'll have him destroy your Master of the Archives." With ease the platinum robed sorcerer was destroyed, leaving Kai once again without monsters to face Etsu's army. "Turn end."

"I draw!" Kai shouted, pulling two cards free. Indeed, the card Tenken had left him was a most profitable card indeed. "I summon a monster in defense mode and set three cards face down. Turn end." Now both players had no cards in their hand. Kai's magic and trap zone was now full, with only one monster standing as a first defense. Etsu, meanwhile, had no magic or trap cards, except for a lone set card and her Breaker Temple. At first glance, the duel would seem to be in her favor. But anyone who knew Kai's cards would know it was still dead even, regardless of Life Points or attack points.

"I set one card face down, followed by my Breaker Temple generating a counter for both Monster Breaker and Breaker Blader (2200/1000 x2)." From the eastern tower shot two bolts of light which struck the swords of their targets, granting them more power. "Now, Monster Breaker, destroy his monster!" Firing the ever familiar crescent wave of magic, Etsu's monster activated his effect, shattering Kai's monster and the force of the effect carrying through and pushing on Kai's entire body for a second, forcing him to fall onto his back and continue rolling in that direction. "Now my Breaker's will attack and fin-what?" she cut herself off as four lights streamed from the spot where Kai's monster had been, dancing around in the air for an instant before settling down in a straight horizontal line facing Etsu.

Lifting his upper body with his arms, Kai started to explain. "You destroyed my Atom Sorcerer (1000/10000, who has summoned four tokens to the field: Proton Sorcerer (500/500)," a magician in red robes. "Electron Sorcerer (500/500)," blue robes. "Neutron Sorcerer (500/500)," yellow robes. "And Quartz Sorcerer (500/500)." white robes. Pulling his feet under him, Kai began to rise. "I'm safe this turn, because you only have four monsters, and I have four tokens."

"Not quite." Etsu smiled. "Because you haven't seen Breaker Blader's special effect yet. I can remove magic counters from him to allow him an extra attack per counter, meaning I'll have five attack this turn." Kai hung his head.

"First off, Breaker Blader will destroy your Electron and Proton Sorcerers." With great speed and grace the gray armored warrior charged the field and slashed both monsters, destroying them in a manner which would have left a gruesome aftermath had it been real. "And since I sacrificed his magic counter, he lost attack points (1900/1000), allowing me to activate another Card of Last Will to draw five more cards." With zeal she pulled out five more cards and made eye contact with Kai for an instant, revealing in that one instant her feelings.

_'Impressive, Etsu.'_ he commended her mentally. _'You know not to underestimate your opponent. A more foolish player would have ignored their chance to draw cards and simply ran in for the kill. But you're not going to make such a mistake. You're not going to stop, are you. You're determined to take me to my limits and beat me.'_

"Now that those tokens have fallen, I can activate their effects. Electron Sorcerer will give me two cards from my deck, while Proton Sorcerer destroys one magic or trap card on your field. So I choose to destroy your face down card." Drawing two cards, Kai watched as Etsu's card exploded, leaving her somewhat dumbfounded.

"Why did you go after my Breaker's Secrets card?" she asked.

"Although your Temple is a threat, I can't take chances with an unknown threat, Etsu."

"Not like it matters. Spirit Breaker will destroy your Neutron Sorcerer and Trap Breaker will destroy your Quartz Sorcerer." The two Breakers lunged across the field, simultaneously cutting into their target. However, much to Etsu's surprise, the remains of Quartz Sorcerer began to glow and change into perfectly round orbs of light which flew in every direction, cutting through her monsters. Soon nothing remained, the sheer friction of the moving pieces of matter having burned away the bodies of Etsu's monsters. All she could do was stare in confusion.

"When you destroyed Quartz Sorcerer, he set off a nuclear explosion and destroyed all of the non-token monsters on the field." Kai explained. "You wont be attacking me this turn."

"You..." Etsu was at a loss for words for a second before reasserting herself. "I set one card face down and end my turn."

"I play Monster Reborn on Light Magician!" Kai called as his monster appeared for the third time that duel. "Next I'll summon my Time Paladin (1900/1800) in attack mode." A figure in black armor with gold trim and fashioned much like Breaker's in that it was a very flexible, almost fabric material and wearing a cape appeared, holding up a decorated sword with a silver blade. "Time Templar, attack!" Charging across the field with speed, the black armored knight delivered a horizontal cut to Etsu's middle, causing her to lean forward in pain.

Kai-2100/Etsu-5100

"Etsu!" Kai shouted in alarm. "Are you alight?" he asked.

Coughing, she nodded. "Bring on your attack, Kai."

Hesitating a moment, Kai watched the girl from his childhood stand up, sweating profusely, yet still full of that fire and determination he had seen only in himself before. She had just received a serious blow, and yet she stood there, hunched over, hair hanging slightly wild, gasping for air, and still asking for him to attack! Shaking his head, he did all he could think to do.

"Light Magician, attack her directly!" The white robed magician looked to Kai as if hoping the boy would change his mind, but Kai simply blinked and nodded. The mage turned back to face the foe just in time to miss the tear that had escaped Kai's eye. The magician raised his staff and prepared for his attack, which could possibly harm Etsu more than Kai either player expected, neither of them knowing the full extent of her fatigue. And yet, he remained obedient to Kai's command and released the blast of golden magical light.

"I activate my trap card." Etsu choked as a barrier of some solid substance appeared in front of her, the entire object crackling with electricity. "Blitz Counterattack destroys an attacking monster and lets me draw one card at the cost of five hundred Life Points." The attack struck the shield, which seemed to absorb the energy, and then rebounded the attack, which was now crackling with electricity as well as the full force of the original attack, headed straight for Kai's monster.

Kai-2100/Etsu-4600

"If he is to die, I will not allow my Light Magician to die in vain a third time!" Kai shouted, pressing two buttons on his Duel Disk. Two cards flipped up, one a magic card and the other a trap. "My Ring of Destruction will destroy my Light Magician and deal us both twenty-five hundred points of damage!" A metal ring snapped itself around the middle of Kai's monster, the grenades seconds away from detonating.

"You'll lose!" Etsu shouted. "I don't want to win because of such a simple miscalculation on your part!"

"You wont." Kai reassured her. "My magic card now activates. Normally, I wouldn't be able to play it, but because there's an attack coming my way, I can. Dark Magic Revival activates on magic card in my graveyard, in this case my Ring of Defense!" The green disc once again appeared on Kai's field at the same instant that his monster exploded, the spinning motions preventing any of the explosion from reaching him. He heard a scream from the other side of his defense, but he couldn't move; everything was happening so fast. The ring was then further stressed as the magicians reflected attack collided with it, the original target no longer alive. However, Kai's shield held strong, and did not fade until the attack had ended and the smoke cleared.

Kai-2100/Etsu-2100

Etsu had been thrown back, nearly into the wall opposite Kai, and had skidded to a halt against the flat surface. And yet, she once again began to stand, determined not to give up. Kai himself, although protected from damage, realized that the last exchange had affected him still, his eyes overcome with spotting, making it seem as though Etsu were aglow with some inner light. To Kai, for an instant, it almost looked like she was being strengthened by it.

"Well done, Kai." she murmured. "But I'm not done." her voice escalated, growing in strength as she returned to the arena. She drew a card, giving her five in hand cards. She grabbed one of the cards and slipped it into her activation slot. "I play my Resonance of Soul, paying one thousand Life Points to special summon any level four monsters from my hand to the field, but they'll be destroyed at my turns end." She chose three of her cards and slapped them onto her Duel Disk, bringing out three more Breakers. One in cerulean blue, another in tan, and the last in silver. "Effect Breaker (1600+300), Attack Breaker (1600+300), and Breaker the Sword Dancer (1600+300). Then they'll each get a magic counter from my Temple, increasing their strength further (2200/1000 x3). "Next is my Payment of Debt, removing my Apprentice Magician from my graveyard to draw three cards." Quickly she filled her hand with cards, and then looked at Kai firmly. "I set one card face down, and then I play Brave Attack to combine their attack points into one attack (6600), but they'll all be destroyed at the turns end. It's the perfect combination!" All three Breakers began to charge Kai's Paladin, their combined strength equaling far more than enough to finish him off.

"I activate my Magicians Ordination! Because you special summoned those magicians, I can end the turn and draw a card." he declared as his trap card set off and he pulled a new card from his deck. "So your turn ends, destroying your three monsters." as he said this, all three Breakers bowed their heads before fading away.

"So now I draw." he grabbed two more cards and began to ponder a possible strategy, but nothing extremely clever was occurring to him. Or course, she only had one card to protect her, so it was quite possible he could end the duel right here. "I summon Alpha Sorcerer (1500/1000) in attack mode!" His small, midnight blue clad magician appeared. Although not very strong, he would be enough. "Attack!" The mage raised his stave and began to chant while the paladin began to charge his sword with magic, which he then fired in a stream at Etsu.

"Mirror Force!"

Kai froze, having trouble interpreting the full meaning of what he had just heard. But regardless of his comprehension speed, his attacks were reflected back at him, destroying his two monsters.

"Very well, Etsu." he sighed, slipping a card into his Duel Disk, leaving him with two cards in his hand. He then nodded to her, signaling his turn was over.

"I draw." she said, although her battered voice sounded far from interested in such a move. She looked her three cards over before making her choice. "I set two cards face down and then I activate my magic card, Spell Afterimage!" Her new card appeared in holographic form, showing a mirror with a green bordered card shown in its surface, the details of the card to hard to distinguish. "This card can act as any magic card in my graveyard, so I'll activate Card of Sanctity, allowing me to draw six cards and you get four." The holographic card flashed for a second, and then was replaced by the image of the named magic card.

Both players thinned their decks even more, staring at each other in their battered state. It was at this moment that Kai noticed something.

"Etsu, you've run out of cards." he said, noticing her empty deck zone. "Did you just deck yourself out?"

"Of course not." she responded. "I had exactly six cards left in my deck, I needed a specific card, and this ensured that I drew it. But, before I can activate it, I have to play a few different magic cards." She reached to her hand of cards, her fingers trembling slightly as she did so. But she managed to get the first card into her magic slot, and another mirror with a magic card in it appeared. Kai himself barely noticed any of this, his focus starting to lessen. "My second Spell Afterimage will now permanently act as Effect Economics!" She chose another card and again barely managed to fit it into her magic slot correctly.

The new image was of a courtyard filled with various magicians, such as the Dark Magician, Disintao, Breaker, and Chaos Magician. They seemed to celebrating something, and there was an aura of some sort in the sky above them. "Magical Renaissance forces both players to shuffle spellcasters and magic cards from their graveyards into their decks." Both duelists placed a hand over their graveyard slot, which proceeded to spit out a plethora of cards into their fingers, which they then shuffled and placed in their deck zones, Kai having had the need to also shuffle the last five or so cards from his deck in with the returning cards.

"Next is my Breaker Council magic card." Etsu continued her move, activating one of the two cards she had set face down at he beginning of her turn. "This allows me pay one thousand Life Points to place any five Breakers from my deck into my hand. However, Effect Economics covers that cost for me." She searched her deck and easily found the five cards she was looking for, smiling at each one as she added it to her hand, the pain of her body seeming to dissipate with each of the five cards. Then, with her deck back in place and her hand now bulging at nine cards, she prepared for her next play.

Pressing a button on her Duel Disk, her last face down card flipped up revealing the image of Breaker the Magical Warrior knocking on a door. Through the window of said door could be seen four faces looking out at him, each one identical to him in appearance except for the color of their headdress. "A Breaker Family Reunion costs one thousand Life Points to activate, which is again negated, and summons as many Breakers from my hand as I can hold. Each will receive a magic counter, but I cannot perform any further summons this turn."

On her field they appeared, Breakers, each in different color garments. Effect Breaker in his cerulean armor, Spell Breaker in white, Monster Breaker in black, Breaker Blader in gray, and in the middle of their line was Breaker the Magical Warrior in his scarlet. (1600+600/1000 x5)

"Kai, do you remember the story you used to tell me about Breaker?" she asked. He simply responded with a forlorn glaze over his eyes, the fatigue seeping into him. "There was a temple dedicated to teaching young men and women to both fight and to use magic. It was a special breed of magic, in that its focus was in being able to eliminate an enemies advantages before going into battle. This brand of sorcery was called 'Breaking', because it essentially broke the enemies resources." As the story continued, Kai could feel a sort of warmth fill his soul and he could feel himself returning to reality.

"There were at first only five students, and each one became extremely proficient in their preferred type of Breaking. One used his magic to incapacitate the special strengths of an opposing fight. Another could obliterate any spell that was sent against him. Another could destroy living matter. Another had the ability to increase his own speed in order to overwhelm an opponent. But the most prodigious and respected one was also the very first student, who had the ability to sense and destroy the magical energies of a spell, even while they were dormant. They later became so excelled that their fame attracted other students, eager to learn from the five Breakers, as they were called. And so the temple prospered and the people of that land were forever safe."

"Now it's time you felt the power of those warriors. But first, Breaker the Magical Warrior, destroy his set card!" One last time the scarlet robed magician raised his sword, burning with a white light. This time, instead of launching the magic from a distance, he crossed the field in an instant, and sliced through Kai's set card without any resistance. The field was clear. A dot of light launched from the east tower of the Breaker Temple and struck Breaker the Magical Warrior's sword, restoring his power.

"Breakers," Etsu called to her servants, but then hesitated at seeing Kai's slouching form. The Breakers each tightened their muscles and prepared to attack, but after a minute of silence slackened again and turned to their mistress, awaiting her order. Would she attack? Could she attack? Could she declare the final attack upon the young man she had known her entire life, and who she had trained hard and traveled far to find? Doubt filling her very being, Etsu began to look around for someone's guidance. Her eyes locked with Kai's, who had lifted his head and was giving her a hard look. Slowly she nodded and bit her lip, fearing what she'd have to do. "Attack his Life Points directly!" Etsu commanded, and then turned her head to look away.

Each one charged across to Kai's field and struck. Breaker Blader easily slipped behind Kai and delivered two lightning fast slashes over Kai's back. Effect Breaker and Spell Breaker both struck him at the rib-cage on either side. Monster Breaker delivered a horizontal slash across his chest, and finally, Breaker the Magical Warrior slashed straight down Kai's middle. Each attack felt like Kai was being beat about by a soft, but still solid, rod. As each attack hit, his body recoiled. As one the Breakers leapt back and away from Kai, who stumbled around in a two foot wide circle for a moment, his body threatening to give out. After about a minute Etsu was about to call to him, to find if he was alright, but instead found herself asking a completely different question.

"Why haven't the holograms gone?" She looked around confused some more.

"Because..." Kai muttered, grunting deeply as he struggled to make his body to stand erect. "Because it's not over." He began to glow with a white light as he said these words, feeling a sense of power enter into him. Raising his head, he looked at her with his piercing stare, his soul rejuvenated. "I activated the magic card you destroyed this turn. I knew you'd get rid of it, so I set it as bait. It's called Defiance of Destiny." He took the card from his graveyard and held it up so that Etsu could see the name. "When it's in the grave, I can take it and five other cards and shuffle them back into my deck to protect me from an attack, so I survived." He quickly shuffled the six cards into his deck and then reloaded his Duel Disk.

"My turn...Is over." Etsu declared, her surprise evident. It seemed almost unfathomable that Kai could have predicted her move, stopped her attack, or still be standing. And yet, he had done all three.

Drawing two cards, Kai explored his eight cards and the options they held. He could now begin to make his counter attack. He had everything he needed. He didn't know what the end result would be, but he simply knew what moves to make, as if another part of him did know what these new cards did, and what their potential was.

"I summon Sage of Creation (1700/1700) in defense mode." he began. On his field appeared a man with bright blonde hair and dressed in beige robes appeared, sitting cross-legged and glowing with a powerful inner light. "Sage of Creation allows me to summon one monster from my deck to the field with its stats set to zero. Every turn, that monster will receive five hundred attack points until it reaches its base attack strength once more. If the final increase of five hundred would surpass the monsters base attack strength, I can summon a monster from my deck to the field whose level is equal to the remaining attack points divided by one hundred. So, I choose to summon my Sage of Destruction (1200/1200)." A man much like the first, only with gray hair and black robes appeared. However, unlike what one might expect from such a man who could merit such a name, there was no malice or cruelty in his eyes. In fact, he seemed desperate for something. He then began to slouch, his shoulders drooping and his head hanging low as his power was taken from him, and his attack and defense points drained (0/0).

"Thousands of years ago, before written history, there was an event which shook all the land and nearly destroyed the entire world. That which survived was left in ruins, barely alive. These men walked the earth after this first destruction. Or, more accurately, the Sage of Creation did. He began to breath new life into the earth, and before long it was restored to its former glory, and then proceeded to progress. However, the Sage soon learned that he couldn't escape one thing: Destruction. A force which followed him against its own will, and manifested itself in the form of another sage. Wherever Creation would give life, Destruction had no choice but to annihilate. There could not be life or any concept of it if there was not some sort of opposition to it. Destruction had no choice, he was bound by the principles of his existence to destroy, even though he hated it."

"Finally, Destruction became so desperate for a release from his sins that he unleashed all of his fury upon the land and destroyed it all. Even the Sage of Creation was erased from existence, and a void was all that was left. But now I have brought these two forces back." Kai explained, ending his history of what his cards were.

"Etsu, I once had life in me. I was full of joy and sadness, meekness and pride. But then came a presence into my life which destroyed that life as I understood it, starting with those that gave me life to begin with. From there on out, the natural order was disturbed, the source of that life, in other words, that love which gave existence to me, was taken away, and I quickly decayed until all that was left was a desolate void. But now..." he let his voice trail off as he grabbed a card from his hand and slipped it into his magic zone.

"I activate Harpies Feather Duster to destroy your Breaker Temple." Kai called as a funnel of wind and feathers struck the castle, surrounding it and ripping into the landscape. The vacuum created by the gale-force winds ripped the structure apart, and when it dissipated, the land was barren. 'There goes your ability to upkeep your magic counters as well as three hundred attack points from each Breaker (1900/1000 x5). I'll next play Poison of the Old Man to gain twelve hundred Life Points."

Kai-3300/Etsu-2100

"Now I play Graceful Charity to draw three cards and discard two." Kai did so, and then slipped three cards into his magic and trap zones, filling them up and ending his turn, leaving him with two cards.

"I may have lost my Breaker's extra bonus, but I do have a way of making sure I beat you." Etsu said as she looked at her four cards. "I can't risk charging into three possible traps, and I can't destroy them all with my Magical Warrior, but there is a way of making it possible to get rid of them all. But first, Monster Breaker, get rid of his Sage of Creation. Breaker the Magical Warrior, destroy his leftmost face down card." As one the two Breakers carried out their orders, yet Kai remained strong. Despite the fatigue he felt, he stood firm, his adrenaline seeming to be amplified somehow. It was as if awakening these new cards within him somehow made him stronger. Shaking himself free from these ponderings, Kai returned his attention to Etsu, who seemed to be pleading silently with her five Breakers, as if she regretted what she was to do next. Finally, she raised her attention and looked Kai in the eyes, her green eyes staring hard into his brown eye and blue eye.

"I'm going to unleash my greatest strength, Kai!" Reaching down she shuffled all five Breakers together into one pile which she pulled off of her Duel Disk and inserted into her graveyard.

_'Five sacrifices?'_ Kai wondered. _'What card could be worth the sacrifice of each of those Breakers?'_

"I sacrifice Breaker the Magical Warrior, Monster Breaker, Breaker Blader, Spell Breaker, and Monster Breaker to summon their teacher, mentor, and master!" she slapped the card down onto her Duel Disk, she herself seeming to have caught a second wind which was fueling her. "This is the man who created the temple where he taught others. He is the one who developed the Breaker magic and helped those young students through the hardest struggles of their lives! And in thanks, they are willing to give their lives to make him strong!"

Emerging from apparently was a figure taller than any Etsu had thus far played. Granted, he was no giant, but he was taller than his pupils. He was dressed in gold armor and radiated with a great power. It was a pure and gentle warm power, and at the same time it seemed to draw forth ones own personal sorrows to torment them. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts of these bitter memories, he returned to stare at the overpowering sight before him.

"Breaker the Holy (2500/2500)! And he will get stronger, Kai. You see, for every Breaker I sacrificed to summon Breaker the Holy, he gains one magic counter, which increases his attack by three hundred a piece (4000/2500)!"

"Amazing." Kai muttered. "Truly amazing."

"Also, as he is the master of the Breaker arts, Breaker the Holy has the abilities of those first five students whom he taught, and he is even more proficient at each skill than any apprentice. Now, Breaker the Holy, use the energy of two of those magic counters given to you to destroy his last two set cards!" With a nod, her monster swung his sword forward, but strangely in an upward arc, firing two crescent shockwaves which flew above Kai at a slant. They danced about in the sky for a moment above their heads, showing how great this magicians control over his magic was that he could manipulate this attack and make it appear so beautiful. Then, faster than either duelist could see the waves had struck down and smashed Kai's set cards to pieces. However, this display had also robbed him of some of his attack points (3400/2500).

"Next is your monster, the Sage of Destruction!" Raising his sword to be level with his eyes, Breaker the Holy ran his left index and middle finger together along the length of the blade, coating it in a blue aura. He vaulted into the air, seemed to freeze in mid-jump, adjusting his body so that it was pointed straight down with the sword ready to impale from above, he dropped, his own weight adding to the destructive power of the magical attack. Kai's monster was speared through and shattered, revealing Breaker the Holy with his body perfectly erect, his sword in the grown and using it as a sort of stilt to remain hanging in mid-air for a moment longer until he flipped his weight off of his weapon and landed on his feet, his knees barely shuddering with his landing, again slightly drained of his strength (3100/2500).

"Breaker the Holy, attack his Life Points directly." With speed far greater than any Kai had ever witnessed before, the gold armored man directly in front of him and attacked with a horizontal cut across Kai's torso, throwing the boy back until he crashed into the wall, falling in a crumpled heap on the floor.

Kai-200/Etsu-2100

"It's not over." Kai stated, struggling to his feet. "I still have Life Points. Don't hold back, Etsu. You've given me your all so far, so forget about me and carry through!"

Nodding in understand, Etsu gave her next order. "Breaker the Holy, activate Breaker Blader's effect and sacrifice a magic counter to attack again (2800/2500)!" Jumping into the air so that he sailed directly at Kai in a horizontal position, Breaker the Holy began to spin, his power growing with the spin. His strike was accompanied by a flash of light and a crackle of power.

"What?"

Etsu stared across the field to find that there was a swirling presence between Kai and Breaker the Holy! It was some sort of energy that had become solid and was protecting Kai!

"My magic card, Eternal Witness can activate from my hand when I would receive more than one direct attack if I have no other face down cards in play." Kai explained. "So I get one more chance to witness the birth of a new cycle."

Blinking back tears, Etsu couldn't help but marvel. He had stopped her most powerful monster! But the question was, could he defeat it?

"Turn end." Etsu declared, smiling. No matter what Kai did next, she could only be happy with the outcome.

"Then the time of the absolute end has come." Kai called, pulling cards until he held four cards. He took two of them and turned them around to activate as one. "Instant Necromancy revives a monster from my graveyard for one turn. Spell Overlap will double that, so I get two monsters." In a burst of light erupted Kai's Sage of Destruction and Sage of Creation.

"As I said earlier, these two were eliminated from existence, leaving a void. But from that void came a power which surpassed both Creation and Destruction. It was a power which required both to come to be, and it was a power that could not be eliminated." Taking one of the two cards from his hand, he turned it around to reveal a simple magic card, one which most duelists carried. It was nothing special, couldn't do anything except in the most choice circumstances, but it was indeed a powerful card when played at the right time. "Go, Polymerization!" A vortex emerged and pulled the two sages in, combining their energies into a new form.

What emerged was a beautiful man with silver hair and fair skin. His robes were a dark off-white with a black mantle draped over it and a gold sash tied about his waste with the last eighteen inches hanging loose to the side. In each hand he held a sphere of light, one white and the other inverted black.

"Sage of Rebirth (3200/2100)! A power which cannot be eliminated because he will always return, as that is what his very existence is-to be reborn." Etsu stared in complete awe of Kai's monster, while Breaker the Holy himself bowed his head slightly in reverence.

"Upon being summoned, Sage of Rebirth will revive one monster from my graveyard. I choose the one I sent there with my Graceful Charity, a monster known as Fate (1300/0)!" Kai's last monster was a small figure, no taller than any of the young Breakers had been. He was shrouded entirely by a black cloak, remaining mysterious.

"Fate, attack Breaker the Holy now!" Kai ordered and Fate obeyed, drawing out a golden string from the folds of his cloak, as well as a simple knife. Breaker instantly understood what such a gesture meant, and was determined to not let it happen, and so he ran the shroud through with his sword in the blink of an eye. The ominous figure faded away, but as he did a dark mist escaped from the hood of his cloak and floated about Breaker's head for an instant before dispersing.

"What happened?" Etsu asked, utterly confused by Kai's play. Even more confusing was the fact that the holograms were still active, even though Kai's Life Points should have depleted. "You should have lost."

"Fate is bitter when mortals choose their own paths and defy him." Kai explained. "He was going to cut the thread of life that had been set aside for Breaker the Holy, and so Breaker, out of concern for his own safety, slew Fate. Fate, out of spite, Fate cursed Breaker, deducting his own attack strength from Breaker, plus one hundred more (1400/2500)."

"But your monster was destroyed. Your Life Points were zero." Etsu persisted.

"No it wasn't." Kai replied, holding up his Duel Disk, which now displayed one hundred points. "Because I have Sage of Rebirth on the field, I can give up half of my Life points to negate the damage and revive the destroyed monster." The Sage of Rebirth extended his left hand, the one with the white light, and issued a small surge of energy which began to take some sort of form. Fate reappeared, laughing at Breaker the Holy, mocking him for his unsuccessful attack.

"Fate, attack Breaker the Holy!" Again, Fate tried to cut the life thread, but was this time decapitated by Breaker. Suddenly Breaker raised to his full height and began to shake, losing grip of his sword which fell and clattered to the ground. Because of Fate's special ability he no longer had any attack points (0/2500). And again still, Fate reformed, body and soul complete.

Kai-50/Etsu-2100

"So, you won." Etsu smiled. Both she and Kai nodded, agreeing to the action which had to be taken.

"Sage of Rebirth, attack Breaker the Holy!" Clenching his right hand into a fist, the black light therein became incensed with a new power. The power for destruction grew into a large sphere of energy that detached from the sage's hand and began to levitate on its own in front of him. Bringing his arm back, the sage thrust forward and struck the ball with his open palm, thrusting it against the weakened monster, who simply ceased to exist once he had touched it.

Kai-50/Etsu-0

"Incredible." both players muttered as the holograms faded away. Then Etsu seemed to lose that burst of energy, and fell back in exhaustion. Kai clutched his stomach and limped over to her.

"Etsu, why did you come here? Have you really made it your mission in life to pull me back to the present?" He got no response from the unconscious young woman, and so was left to try and figure it out on his own. "Why would anyone do that?"

He turned his head to the hissing sound of the door to the elevator opening, and hung his head in frustration. "Regardless of how we are affected, the battle still rages."

Dropping to his knees, Kai raised his palms over the body of the young woman he had know his entire life. He didn't know how -nor did he care about this lack of knowledge- but he was going to heal her. She had saved him from his own personal destruction, he could only return the favor.

After a minute of nothing, Kai started to feel energy flow between their bodies. Satisfied, he stood up and limped over to the doors that led to his next challenge. Once the doors were closed behind him, he fell to his knees, and seconds later his face crashed against t he steel floor.

-Back in the Arena-

"Because," whispered the barely conscious Etsu Akira after Kai had left. "I love you." And then she knew no more, other than a hard pulling sensation at her very center.

_To Be Continued..._

WHOA! TWENTY-FIVE PAGES! That's almost ten pages more than my previous record holder for longest chapter. That's insane!

There you have it. My personal early birthday present to you all. This chapter was really hard to write some times, and outrageously easy at others. A lot went into it, so I hope it all worked out well for you all. This is probably my favorite chapter thus far.

Also, the idea for the Breaker deck is not mine. I wish it were, as he's my favorite card from the real game, but sadly the idea originated with Seeker of the Soul, who is using Kai in his story, and decided to go with the cool Breakers rather than the Time Deck, which is cool. It keeps our Kai's straight, you know what I'm saying? Anyway, I got the idea from him, took his Breaker Cards, and then made a few of my own to create Etsu's deck.

On another note, a number of Etsu and Kai's words during that lovely lecture towards the beginning I got from a different Anime where there were some similar situations. So, I took the dialogue which I had memorized, changed it a bit, adapted it to fit the situation, and the final result is seen above you. To avoid plagiarism complaints, I am going to reveal that anime, the episodes, and scenes next chapter. I just thought it'd be fun to let you all try and guess first which Anime. If you can guess the Anime correctly, you get an honorable mention next chapter. If you get the right Anime, plus the right episodes/scenes, you get eleventy billion kudos! Enjoy.

Kai's semi-finals match is over and his power increased, but at what cost? What has happened to Etsu Akira, the girl who has been in love with him since childhood and who sacrificed herself to bring Kai back from his personalized hell. What will Kai do in the Finals, his body thrashed and his mind exhausted?

Regardless, we must take our focus from him for a moment and focus on one Kevin Hunter, who is about to face is greatest challenge yet: Serena Kaiba at her full strength! Both with determination to take a Blue Eyes White Dragon from the other, who will prevail? Serena's calculated moves, or Kevin's overwhelming force of dragons?

Next time in Return of Battle City: Wandering Souls- Revival of the Dragon Gods

Original Cards-

Kai- Steadfast Magician, Archmage's Judgement, Skilled Light Magician (Seeker of the Soul), Light Magician, Sonic Magician, Chronos-Incarnation of Time (Seeker of the Soul, modified by me), Envoy of the Archives, Mystic Moon Dial, Tempus-Archmage of Fate, Spell Backlash, Chronos-Archmage of Destiny, Light Magic Curtain, Master of the Archives, Time Paladin, Magic Field, Sage of Creation, Sage of Destruction, Sage of Rebirth, Fate, Eternal Witness, Defiance of Destiny

Etsu- Shield Breaker, Soul Spell, Shield Spell, Breaker's Swift Strike, Fountain of Dreams, Mystic Fount, Life Breaker, Breaker Light, Breaker Temple, Breaker Archives, Soul Breaker, Attack Breaker, Blitz Counterattack, Magical Renaissance, Breaker Council

Cards by Seeker of the Soul-Monster Breaker, Spell Breaker, Effect Economics, Breaker Blader, Resonance of Soul, Effect Breaker, Breaker the Sword Dancer, Breaker the Holy, A Breaker Family Reunion, Sacrifice and Live, Repayment of Losses

Any cards you see that don't look familiar, ask me because I may have forgotten to note it here. Thank you.

Author/Reviewer Responses:

Demon Fan- Card of the Chapter is dead. It took too much time and energy when I wanted to post. It's easier this way. That is, unless I get tons of feedback demanding I start up again.

The Helldragon- As I've told you, the special cameo will not have Matt getting his soul sucked out through his nose. I've never considered going through the nose before, so I couldn't have done that anyway if you hadn't mentioned it.

Seeker of the Soul- Yes, Disintao is cool, and smacking Valkyries is fun. Together it's an unbeatable combination. Also, you'll probably realize this yourself, but I'll tell you anyway: The back story I gave for the three Sages was inspired by your work, just so you know and I don't have to tell you later.

MatrixFighter- Dead, you say? Perhaps. Killing characters off is one thing I'm going to be doing soon, so I need ways of doing it.

G.O.T.Nick- I am not at liberty to divulge the knowledge of who get's an extra BEWD in t he coming match. Rest assured, it's the result I want.

Noble Paladin- Just the beginning? Of course it's just the beginning! You're not safe! No one is safe! Run! Run from the wicked designs of Ouja Monotori!


	20. Revival of the Dragon Gods

Well, as number of you know, I will be leaving for home for about a week this weekend. As such, I wanted to get this chapter up. Again, it's another of my rushed works, but that's how Kevin's chapters often end up. That and the fact that I rushed it a bit. But it still turned out quite nice I think. Sadly, it's not as long nor as intense as the last duel, but it should still suffice. Now, before we go on to the chapter, I must first hand out prizes!

Okay people, the lecture Etsu gave Kai was pulled from two sources which are technically one-in-the-same. Most of it is from Ruruoni Kenshin: Legend of Kyoto when Kenshin fought Aoshi Shinomori in Makoto Shishio's hideout. Said lecture began at the end of one episode, and ended in the first half of the next. However, there was a part of the lecture which I got from Samurai X: Reflection, which is the final OAV for Kenshin. More specifically, I got it from the last part of his battle with his brother-in-law, Enishi, just before they use their ultimate attacks. To see which parts are from which, or just to see the incredibly awesome quotes, they're in my profile, which I updated last week.

Anyway, The White Mage and Seeker of the Soul each get ten billion kudos for guessing the correct Anime, but they did not get the correct scene.

MatrixFighter- I confess, I hadn't thought that anyone except Seeker of Noble Paladin would come close. And yet you easily told me what I wanted to hear, and for that, you get eleventy billion kudos. Yes, eleventy.

Now, on with the chapter!

**Chapter Twenty: Revival of the Dragon Gods**

"Wraith the Shadow Ryu (3500/2800) attack directly!" Kevin Hunter ordered the black behemoth, who released a large stream of fire upon his first opponent of the Battle City Finals, defeating the young man, leaving him coughing and woozy.

Kevin-1100/Boy-0

"I win!" Kevin shouted with glee. He approached the boy and extended his hand, into which the young man placed a monster card. Turning around, Kevin entered the elevator and was off to his next challenge.

"Hope I run into Sakura soon. We need a rematch." he said to himself cheerfully. The last match hadn't taken very long, nor had it been very hard or hard. "I wonder who I'll face nex-" he was cut off as the doors promptly opened and his opponent revealed.

Standing tall and firm in her blue coat was none other than Sernea Kaiba, deck in place and Duel Disk active.

"Ready, Kevin Hunter." It was not a question, despite how it was grammatically structured. "I had hoped with all my soul that I'd face you here, but I hadn't thought it'd happen so soon. Most excellent. Now I'll be able to draw on all three Blue Eyes White Dragons in the final rounds of this tournament."

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Kevin replied nonchalantly. "When this is over, the tables will turn and I'll be the one with two Blue Eyes. I'm much stronger now than I was two days ago."

"And you think you're the only one who has improved?" she asked. "And you truly think that I was using my full strength last time?" This caught Kevin off guard, and he eyes her suspiciously for a moment.

"You're just trying to scare me." he determined. "You had to have been taking me seriously last time we dueled."

"Not so." she affirmed. "Although I was determined, I had rushed into that duel without properly reformatting my deck to face you. Plus, I underestimated you. It wont happen again." She drew five cards.

Kevin-4000/Serena-4000

"Bring it on." Kevin challenged, pulling six cards. "For now, I summon a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"Then I will play Graceful Charity." Serena started off, drawing three cards before discarding two from her hand. "Next I will summoned Hydrogedon (1600/1000) in attack mode." A creature that looked almost like a dinosaur of some sort appeared, its skin brown with ripples of off-white running through its scales. "Hydrogedon will attack your monster!"

The monster opened its mouth and fired a stream of what appeared to be water at Kevin's face down monster, which flipped over to reveal to two headed dragon with purple scales and black spines before it was destroyed. "And since Hydrogedon destroyed a monster, I get to special summon another Hydrogedon (1600/1000) to my field from my deck, and I'll attack you directly with it!" Instantly, another of the brown monsters appeared and attacked with his own liquid burst.

"You destroyed Twin-Headed Behomoth (1500/1200)!" Kevin shouted. "So he'll return instantly to defend me with his stats lowered slightly (1000/1000), but in defense mode, so I'm safe." Kevin sighed as a defense appeared, taking the brunt of the attack.

"Very well. You're still defenseless. I'll get you next turn." Serena shrugged, not bothered that her chance at an early lead had been halted. "For now, I'll just set one card face down and end my turn."

Drawing a new card, giving him six in hand, Kevin grinned. Despite his empty field, he wasn't worried. "I play Polymerization to fuse together my Lord of Dragons (1200/1100) and my Divine Dragon Ragnarok (1500/1000) into my King Dragun (2400/1100)!" Kevin's serpentine monster with the human torso appeared and fanned its wings out menacingly. "Next I'll use his special ability to summon my Death Volstargaf (2200/1700) in attack mode!" The red scaled reptile with green armor-like scales was his next creature, howling menacingly. "And then my normal summon, which I'll use to summon a monster in defense mode!"

Kevin looked out upon his two menacing dragons, both anticipating their chance to attack.A chance Kevin would not be denying them. And he didn't need to worry about retaliation, because his King Dragun would protect his dragons from her card effects, even if her face down card was a trap. "King Dragun, attack her first Hydrogedon!"The ten-foot long human-ader fired a blast of rainbow colored lights which consumed and obliterated Serena's brown creature with ease.

Kevin-4000/Serena-3200

"Death Volstargaf, your turn!" In a blaze of blue fire, Serena's last monster was destroyed. "And my Death Volstargaf deals another five hundred points of damage to you when he destroys a monster." Kevin explained.

Kevin-4000/Serena-2100

"Activate trap card!" Serena called as her card flipped up.

"King Dragon will protect my dragons from your trap." Kevin interrupted.

"Except I'm not going after your dragons." Serena explained as she pulled her deck free. "Flat LV 4 activates when my monster is destroyed and allows us each to special summon a new level four monster to the field. I'm summoning Kaiser Seahorse (1700/1650) in attack mode."

"I'll summon Magma the Hellfire Ryu (1600/1200) in defense mode." Kevin completed his turn with one card in his hand, but a field full of four monsters, three of them powerful dragons staring her field down.

"Going to summon a Blue Eyes?" Kevin asked her mockingly. Although he knew a Blue Eyes could tip the balance of power out of his early favor, he was rather certain that she didn't have one in her hand.

"No." was her simple response. "I'm going to sacrifice my Kaiser Seahorse for my Crystal Dragon (2500/1900) in attack mode." A dragon made of white crystal with four wide wings, a long tail, and tanned spines running down its back was her new weapon. Despite how menacing it looked, it was at the same time extremely beautiful.

"Next I summoned Crystal Templar (1600/1700) in attack mode." A man in armor seeming to be made of the same rigid and white crystal as the dragon appeared, gripping a long staff with a long, curved blade in his right hand.

"Now I'm going to union my two monsters together." she explained as the warrior leapt into the air as the dragon stooped low, allowing him to land on the dragons back in a riding position. "This raises Crystal Dragon's attack by one hundred, plus another one hundred for every monster on your field at the time I activate this effect, so it gains a total of five hundred attack points (3000/1900), just as strong as a Blue Eyes White Dragon."

"No." Kevin muttered. He had been sure that he'd be able to keep a hold of his lead, that she'd be unable to recover. And yet she had, and was going to strike back with a vengeance.

"Crystal Dragon, attack his King Dragun!" Serena ordered and the beast obeyed, folding its wings about its body and then opening them again, flinging a hailstorm of glass at Kevin's monster, which was torn apart (literally) by the assault.

"What kind of holograms did you make?" Kevin nearly screamed, his young, inexperienced mind shocked by the brutality of the attack.

"I don't know."Serena responded, also slightly unnerved. "It was never that realistic in the tests we ran on them back in Kaiba Corp Labs. I can only assume Ouja increased the intensity for his own enjoyment. He may be my business partner, but I'm not very fond of his personality." she admitted. "Anyway, I end my turn."

"I switch Death Volstargaf to defense mode." Kevin began after adding a second card to his hand. "Now that it's my standby phase, Magma deals you two hundred points of damage!" The small red dragon lifted itself up and arched its neck back, a ball of flames forming there which it hurled at Serena, bursting on impact with her raised arms.

Kevin-4000/Serena-1900

"That ends my turn." he said, slipping his newest card into his Duel Disk face down. Hopefully, that set card would turn things around once again.

"I set two cards face down and then I summon Emerald Paladin (1300/200) in attack mode!" Another warrior, this one in green armor and a shield made os pure emerald appeared. "And when I summon Emerald Paladin, he lets me summon Emerald Dragon (2400/1400) in attack mode!" Another dragon appeared, this one with green skin and blue eyes. In fact, it looked almost exactly like Kevin's Luster Dragon. "Now my Paladin will union himself to my new dragon, bolstering its attack by three hundred (2700/1400)!"

Gulping, Kevin anticipated the coming attack. He had to hope that his one face down card would be enough. It had never failed him before, and had often been a game-breaking move. He just had to hope that it held true.

"Crystal Dragon, attack Death Volstargaf!" Again the four wings curled around the creature and then snapped open, unleashing a wave of glass fragments upon Kevin's monster.

"Go Mirror Force!" Kevin shouted as one of the most powerful cards in the game activated and a seemingly glass wall appeared between Kevin's field and the coming attack.

"Useless." Serena responded, leaving Kevin puzzled -until he saw that her attack was ripping through his shield! "Crystal Dragon cannot have cards chained to its attack. You just wasted one of your better cards." she explained as his dragon was shredded slowly.

"Emerald Paladin, go after his Hellfire Ryu!" Slowly the large beast began to flap its wings, each beat picking up speed and power until it was generating gale force winds, and with those winds were dozens of curved, emerald green energy blades.

Kevin-2500/Serena-1900

"Why did I lose Life Points?" Kevin asked, looking at his Duel Disk.

"When equipped with Emerald Paladin, Emerald Dragon can strike your Life Points, even if your monster is in defense mode." Serena evenly explained. "Do you see it, Kevin? Do you see the power of my determination to hold the third Blue Eyes White Dragon?"

"Shove it!" Kevin responded, drawing a card. "We've both had the lead in these first few turns. It doesn't mean anything!"

"Wrong, Kevin. I control the field, and there's no way you will take that control away from me. I will take that Blue Eyes from you, and correct history."

"What do you mean?" Kevin asked, intrigued by her words.

"Perhaps it's time someone told you the truth." With a sigh, Serena began to gather the information she had gathered over the years concerning her great-grandfather and the Blue Eyes White Dragons. "As you know, the three Blue Eyes were gathered together by Seto Kaiba, from whom I descend. Then, as he grew older, he separated them for their protection until his son was old enough to take responsibility for them. One was given to Yugi Muto, another to Isis Ishtarl and Dalin Summatin, and he held onto the last one. My grandfather, Seto's son, was a brilliant duelist and used his titles, as well as Kaiba Corp, to help rebuild the world after the events which devastated the planet. However, in a world as corrupt as this, it wasn't safe to hold that kind of power and wealth. My grandfather was attacked in the streets and killed, and his Blue Eyes taken. It was my father who recovered the other two, and ever since then, my family has been searching for the third. And that is what has led me to you, Kevin Hunter."

"My father didn't steal it!" Kevin shouted back in rage. "Don't you dare talk that way about him!"

"I didn't say it was your father, Kevin, who killed my grandfather. For one, your father would have only been about fourteen when it happened. No, it wasn't anyone in your family. It was one of the early gangs using the name of Rare Hunters that did it. However, they were raided by the police, your grandfather was among them. He found the card, and rather than returning it, he kept it and passed it through your family line."

"Are you saying my family is full of thieves?" Kevin seethed.

"No, I'm saying you've been led astray because someone left out some details." Serena defended.

"I don't believe it." Kevin shot back at her. "This is crap, and you're full of it."

"Whether you believe me or not really doesn't matter to me." Serena sighed. "Because the spirits of the Blue Eyes know the truth, and they wont deny me victory. Perhaps that's why I couldn't beat you last time; because you didn't know the truth. Well now you do, and now the complete set of my families prized cards will return to our bloodline."

"I'll show you." Kevin snarled, looking his two cards over. I play Raigeki to destroy all of your monsters!" Serena gasped as the bolt of lightning descended from the heavens and struck her field, incinerating her four monsters. However, Kevin was left even more so thuderstruck when he saw that her two soldiers had remained. "How?"

"When these monsters are equipped to their pets, they can't be destroyed. Their faithful dragons take the blow for them, and so they've returned to my field to defend me."

"I don't care how many monsters you have! I'll play Pot of Greed to draw two new cards." Once again, Kevin was looking at a hand of two cards, and he was forming a new plan of attack. "I sacrifice my face down monster for Kaiser Glider (2400/2000) in attack mode!" A gold covered creature which looked to be more like a massive bird that dragon appeared, screeching into the air. "Next I'll special summon my Clone Dragon (0/0) whose attack will now instantly become that of my Kaiser Glider!" A small dot of light appeared before Kevin, looking more like a glowing worm than a dragon. However, it quickly began to morph and grow until it was an exact replica of the golden bird.

"Kaiser Glider, attack her Emerald Paladin!" The large beast raised its head and released a ball of yellow light that sped toward Serena's green armored soldier, blasting it to pieces. "Clone Dragon, get rid of her Crystal Templar!" With the exact same form as the previous attacker, Kevin's second monster attacked and destroyed Serena's last monster. "Now I end my turn."

"I'll set one card face down and end my turn." Serena's turn was simple, but basic, grated her situation of zero cards. However, it also meant that she had no monsters left to protect her Life Points.

_'I'm worried about those face down cards, I'll admit it.'_ Kevin contemplated. _'But if I don't take some form of action, she'll get to retaliate.'_

"Kaise Glider, attack directly!" The same as before, the gold skinned beast raised its head and fired a ball of searing gold light at Serena, who's only reaction was to casually wave her hand over one of her face down cards, which flipped up and a dome of translucent light formed around her.

"Drain Shield will negate your attack and increase my Life Points by your monsters attack total. Anything else?"

Kevin-2500/Serena-4300

"Clone Dragon, attack her directly and undo everything she just achieved!" The second wyrm raised its head and prepared an identical attack, which it hurled at Serena. However, at the last second, a large blue dragon made of rigid diamond appeared, its wings wrapped around its body to protect it. With ease it withstood the attack, completely unharmed. "What the..." Kevin was speechless.

"Last turn you sent four monsters to my graveyard, combining with the five I already had there." Serena began to explain to the bewildered Kevin, her face barely visible above the view of the massive dragon. "Then, when you attacked and my Drain Shield went to the graveyard, I had ten cards therein. That was enough to activate the special ability of one of my monsters known as Carbonedon, who I discarded with my Graceful Charity magic card. When Carbonedon is in the graveyard with ten other cards, I can remove it from play to instantly special summon my Diamond Dragon (2100/2800) to the field, who has plenty of defense points to fend you off with." she explained. "Also, when Diamond Dragon is attacked while in defense mode by a monster who has fewer attack points than my monster does defense points, the attacking monster is destroyed." True to her word, the clone of Kevin's monster exploded into pixels while his Life Points decreased yet again.

Kevin-2100/Serena-4300

"I'll end my turn there." Kevin growled, having no cards left in his hand to play. His Kaiser Glider was all he had. Then again, Serena was also top decking.

"I play Painful Choice!" Serena pulled her deck free once again and began to shuffle through her various cards until she had selected the five she wanted, which she placed on her Duel Disk, causing holographic images of each to appear for Kevin to see: Amethyst Dragon (1700/1200), Repayment of Losses, Diamond Soldier (1800/1600), White Dragon Decent Ritual and Paladin of White Dragon (1900/1200).

Scanning over the cards, Kevin bit his lip trying to decide. Something wasn't sitting right with him. _'Why would Serena grab both her ritual magic card and the ritual monster? No matter what I choose, the entire set is destroyed because at least one of them will be destroyed, making the other a dead weight in her deck. Then again, what choice do I have? I don't want her to access any of those other dragons.'_

"You can have your White Dragon Decent Ritual." Kevin finally decided. Serena nodded and added the one card to her hand while the other four went to the graveyard.

"That would be the most logical move, wouldn't it, Mr. Hunter." Serena mused. "Then again, it doesn't matter, nor do you know much about some cards in the game."

"What do you mean?" Kevin asked, puzzled by what she had said.

"First off, you should have chosen Repayment of Losses." she began her explanation as she reached for her deck. "When sent to the graveyard, I get to draw one card." She added a second card to her hand. "Then there's my other face down card, Fallen Angels Gift, which returns all cards to my hand that I just discarded. Therefore, I get all of my cards back." Fanning out her hand of six new cards, Serena began to plan her move.

"First is my Descent of White Dragon Ritual, discarding my Amethyst Dragon to summon my Paladin of White Dragon (1900/1200)." Slipping one card into her magic zone, another into her graveyard, and finally a third onto her field, Serena welcomed one of her favorite monsters, a creature who made it significantly easier to play using her dragons.

"Next I summon Diamond Soldier (1800/1600) in attack mode." A warrior in sparkling diamond armor appeared, hoisting up a great sword, the blade made of solid diamond! "Now I'll unity my Diamond Soldier to my Diamond Dragon, bolstering Diamond Dragon's attack by four hundred (2500/2800). So now I'll switch my Diamond Dragon to attack mode to add to my forces." The dragon began to open its wings, which seemed to be quite the task for the stiff body structure of the beast. Overall, that gave Serena a powerful union monster and an average powered ritual monster, but he wouldn't be around much longer.

"Now I'll set one card face down and then trigger my last set card, Emergency Provisions, sacrificing my Repayment of Losses to gain one thousand Life Points and to draw another card." she chuckled as her last two magic cards vanished and her Life Points ticked up while she drew a card, leaving her with two in her hand.

Kevin-2100/5300

"Excellent." she smiled arrogantly. "I play Mandate of Heaven, paying the one thousand Life Points I just gained to name a level eight or higher monster in your deck and add it to my hand." she leered at Kevin for a second as he tried to absorb this information. It's not that the card effect confused him, it was simply the fact that the reality of it wouldn't sink in. He knew what she would do, and it was as if his mind and heart wouldn't allow him to accept it. "I choose your Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

Kevin-2100/Serena-4300

Kevin looked on in shock as she walked across the field to him. His mind wasn't registering anything, but his body was working on its own, pulling his deck free and handing her the card before shuffling again.

"I'll set one card face down on the field, and then I'll have my Diamond Dragon attack your Kaiser Glider!" Much like Crystal Dragon, Diamond Dragon folded itself within its wings for a moment before snapping them open to release its own hail of sparkling rocks, only these were much larger and pointed, unlike the jagged bullets that her previous monster had used. They tore through the armor of Kevin's dragon with easy, once again leaving a thrashed carcass for a few seconds before it vanished. Had Kevin been more aware of the situation, he may have been tempted to throw up.

Kevin-2000/Serena-4300

"Now I'll sacrifice my Paladin of White Dragon for my Blue Eyes White Dragon, and that will end my turn." The white armored soldier and his small dragon vanished and were replaced by the much larger wyvern.

Snapping back to his senses as Serena's dragon roared, he noticed that she had summoned her own Blue Eyes instead of his. Grunting in frustration, Kevin drew a new card, praying for a good top deck himself. Glancing at the magic card, he grinned at the product of his prayers.

"I play Nightmare Steel Cage!" Instantly the thick, black steel bars sprang to life around Serena and her monsters, forcing the two mighty dragons to crouch down low, unable to move at all. "That ends my turn."

"You can't hold me forever." Serena scoffed, drawing again. "I play Unbridled Desire, which allows me to draw three cards without cost. Then I set one card face down and end my turn."

"Then I'll go again, and I'll play my Cost of Greed magic card, removing Lord of Dragons, Divine Dragon Ragnarok, Magma and Twin-Headed Behemoth from play to draw four cards!" Pulling a fresh hand free, Kevin breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's exactly what I was hoping for, Kevin. I knew you'd play some sort of drawing effect soon, since your hand was empty, so I had this card face down." she gloated as her face down card sprang into action. To Kevin's surprise it was not a trap card, but rather a quick-play magic card. "Desire for Compensation allows me to instantly summon two level four monsters to my field in defense mode when you add extra cards to your hand." Selecting the two cards which Kevin knew not to be his Blue Eyes, Serena set the monsters onto her Duel Disk. "I summon Ruby Soldier (1500/1200) and Bloodstone Marauder (1900/1300)." Two more warriors in special armor, both in shimmering, but different shades, of red, appeared. "Bloodstone Marauder allows me to place one Bloodstone Dragon (2900/1600) from my deck to my hand." Popping her deck free, Serena searched out the desired monster and then reshuffled.

"As I was saying," Kevin restarted his main phase, annoyed that Serena had read his move and used it against him so effectively. Now she had four monsters, two of great power at her disposal, and two more waiting in the wings. "I end my turn."

"Then I shall first sacrifice Ruby Soldier and Bloodstone Marauder to summon Bloodstone Dragon (2900/1600) in attack mode. However, it too is locked in under your cage for now." For the second time in his life, Kevin looked upon the beast of shimmering red rock, the same creature that had cost him victory in his last encounter with Serena.

_'Why didn't she summon my Blue Eyes?'_ Kevin asked himself, surprised by her move.

"Now I will play my Life Slashing Treasure." Serena continued. "I draw four cards so that I reach five in my hand, but in five turns I will be forced to discard them all." Fanning out her new hand, Serena began to revel in the possibilities. But for now, it was not the time. "I end my turn, and your Nightmare Steel Cage is gone." She ended, slipping one card into her magic zone.

"That may be, but now I can start to take back control." Kevin declared boldly. "I play Pyre to discard one card to special summon my King Dragun (2400/1100) once more to the field." True to his word, the hybrid creature reappeared, ready for battle. "Next I'll use his special ability to special summon Tyrant Dragon (2900/2400) in attack mode." Next to his crossbreed monster appeared the brown-scaled dragon, one of the most powerful and feared ever. "I'll now play Dragon Trophy, a continuous magic card that will let me draw one card each time a dragon destroys an enemy monster. And my last card is my called Taxation of Soul, which allows me to draw one card for every one removed from play, so that's four more cards!"

Once again with a hand full of cards, Kevin began to contemplate his options. "I play Dragon Lord Call, which acts like a Flute of Summoning Dragon, but does not require that I have a Lord of Dragons in play and it effects the graveyard instead of my hand. So here come two more." he called, pleased to have drawn such good cards. "Kaiser Glider (2400/2000) and Death Volstargaf (2200/1700)." Both the armored and the green scaled dragons appeared, ready for battle.

"That's very impressive, Kevin." Serena consented. "But not enough to beat me. I have Diamond Dragon equipped with Diamond Solder, a Blue Eyes White Dragon, and my Bloodstone Dragon all ready for battle. Each of them could rip through your lesser creatures."

"You've forgotten Serena, that I have one more card in my hand." Kevin grinned, ready to unleash a massive blow. "I equip my Tyrant Dragon with United We Stand!" A gold aura began to surround Kevin's mightiest creature on the field as streams of the same gold color flowed from his other four monsters into the dragon. "Since I have five monsters in play," here he paused and nodded to his Clone Dragon which seemed to have been forgotten. "Tyrant Dragon now gains four thousand extra attack points, placing him way beyond your monsters (6900/2400)."

"No!" Serena shouted, her genius mind working a few quick calculations. _'If he attacks, the best I can escape with is four hundred Life Points.'_

"Since Tyrant Dragon has sixty-nine hundred attack points, and Diamond Dragon only has twenty-five hundred, I think I'll attack him and wipe you out!" Without having to charge up, the leviathan unleashes a river of scorching flames which consumed and melted Serena's white skinned creature. "I win!"

"Oh really?" Serena asked, coughing a little on the smoke coming from the smoldering pile of ash that had been her dragon. "Not quite. When Diamond Dragon is attacked, I can switch its battle position at the cost of three hundred Life Points. However, with the Diamond Soldier attached to him, I can perform that maneuver without cost. Also, when Diamond Dragon is destroyed with Diamond Soldier still on him, I can summon Diamond Soldier (1800/1600) to the field instantly." The pile of ashes at Serena's feet began to stir a little until a hand reached out, followed by the rest of the diamond clothed warrior.

"Fine, have it your way." Kevin growled. "For my Blue Eyes!" he called. "Tyrant Dragon, use your multiple attack ability to attack her Blue Eyes White Dragon!" he ordered, and the beast obeyed, once again releasing a wave of fervor upon Serena's field. However, this time damage was dealt and there would be no stalwart warrior to take its place.

Kevin-2000/Serena-400

"Now, Kaiser Glider, attack and destroy her Diamond Soldier!" The golden beast followed his order without fail, firing a ball of amber energy at Serena's monster, who exploded.

"By destroying Diamond Soldier you allow me to special summon one Ruby Dragon (1600/12000 in defense mode" A thin dragon with bright red plating appeared.

"Die, damn it!" Kevin shouted in frustration. "Just die and give me back my fathers card! Death Volstargaf, attack her Ruby Dragon!" Opening his beaked maw the dragon discharged a stream of blue flames. Not only would it wipe away the monster, but it would deal five hundred damage from his monsters effect, wiping her out!

"Diamond Shield!" Serena called as her quick-play card activated. "As you should know, this card negates one attack and allows me to special summon any of my jeweled dragons to the field, such as a second Ruby Dragon (1600/1200)."

"King Dragun, attack her new monster!" Kevin nearly screamed. Raising his arm, Kevin's monster released five streams of lightning from his fingertips which wrapped around the small red dragon, causing it to explode. "Now, Clone Dragon, attack her last Ruby Dragon!" Just like Kaiser Glider, the duplicate monster lifted back its head and fired a ball of light, causing her monster to explode on impact.

"Happy now?" Kevin shouted, drawing four cards for his Dragon Trophy card's effect. "You've managed to fully piss me off!"

"If you're going to be this irate simply because of my stalling, Kevin, then you'll give yourself a seizure before too long." Serena calmly replied. "For now, I shall set one card face down and then I'll play Brain Control!"

A large brain appeared on her field and unleashed two ghostly hands which crept across the field and sunk into the head of King Dragun, whose body went limp and his eyes glazed over before he floated over to her field.

"Why did you take that?" Kevin asked, rather perplexed.

"For his special ability." Serena explained. "I'll use him to special summon Sapphire Dragon (1900/1600), and then I'll play Pot of Greed. I'll follow that up by using Silent Doom to summon my Radiance Dragon (1000/1200) which I discarded with Graceful Charity to the field in defense mode." A small reptile appeared on her field, its entire body glowing. "When summoned, Radiance Dragon increases my Life Points by the total number of the dragons in my graveyard multiplied by three hundred. I have nine, so I gain twenty-seven hundred Life Points."

Kevin-2000/Serena-3100

"Next I will sacrifice King Dragun and Radiance Dragon to summon my Sapphire God Soldier (2800/2000) in attack mode." A mighty warrior descended upon Serena's field, armed to the teeth with shimmering blue plate armor and grasping a large blade made of sapphire. "Now I will union my God Soldier to Sapphire Dragon, increasing Sapphire Dragons attack by his attack total, meaning Sapphire Dragon now has more than double the attack points it did a moment ago (4700/3600)."

"Not nearly enough, though." Kevin chortled, amused by her attempts to overpower his Tyrant Dragon. "Heh, even without my Blue Eyes, I can beat you. Even better is the fact that my Blue Eyes is in your hands, and you're going to lose!"

"I'm not trying to beat Tyrant Dragon." Serena explained. "At least, not yet."

"What do you mean?" Kevin asked, yet again not understanding the meaning behind her words.

"You forget that Dragon Trophy works for both players. So, Bloodstone Dragon, attack and destroy Kaiser Glider!" Rising from the ground were it looked as if it had been sleeping, the burgundy lizard opened its mouth and let loose a large ball of fire which completely consumed Kevin's weaker monster, dealing damage to his Life Points, but also weakening Tyrant Dragon slightly (6100/2400).

Kevin-1500/Serena-3100

Drawing a card, Serena seemed rather pleased with her draw. "I play Dragon Lore, which allows me to increase the attack points of any dragon I control by its base attack for one turn. At the end of the turn, that dragon is destroyed. So Sapphire Dragon now gains an additional nineteen hundred attack points (6600/3600)."

"It's not possible!" Kevin shouted. "I can't lose my Tyrant Dragon!"

"You just have!" Serena countered, directing her next words to her blue dragon and its rider. "Sapphire Dragon, attack Tyrant Dragon now!" Surprisingly, the scrawny wyvern was capable of lifting itself and its large rider into the air, and then with great speed charged Kevin's field, sword raised. With relative ease, combining the forces of gravity with the speed of the dive, the God Soldier dropped his blade, decapitating Kevin's monster. The head and body both fell to the ground and lingered for a second before vanishing. Kevin grasped his mouth with both hands, trying to hold back the bile that was rising.

Kevin-1000/Serena-3100

Drawing again, Serena scowled. "Now my Sapphire Dragon is destroyed because of my Dragon Lore's effect. Not that it really matters. It would have been destroyed anyway as a result of having Sapphire God Soldier ride him." Serena watched rather nonchalantly as her monster exploded and relinquished control to Kevin.

"Oh, now it's on!" Kevin shouted, drawing a fifth card into his hand. "I switch Clone Dragon and Death Volstargaf to defense mode and set one monster in defense mode." Kevin relented, furious that he had lost control again so quickly. Not only that, but it had been his own magic card that had made it possible!

"God Soldier, attack his Clone Dragon!" Serena ordered. "Bloodstone Dragon, go after his Death Volstargaf!" Within a matter of seconds, Kevin's two monsters were destroyed, leaving only a lonely face down defense card between him and her. Not only that, but Serena got to draw another card. However, she did not play it, and ended her turn.

"I'll set one more monster in defense mode, and end my turn." Kevin conceded, again with a low growl.

"Then it'll all end soon, Kevin." Serena stated, drawing a fifth card. "I'll set two more cards face down and then have both of my dragons attack your two monsters!" The two shimmering monsters unleashed their attacks, cutting Kevin's monsters to pieces.

"You've destroyed Avarice Dragon (500/200)." Kevin explained. "I get to draw two cards now." Fanning out a hand of seven cards, Kevin began to ponder for a second. He then looked away from his cards to stare at Serena's two monsters, then at her three face down cards, and then up at the sky, and finally back to his hand, and his eyes suddenly widened with a sense of realization.

"Prepare yourself, Serena, to meet a god amongst dragons!" he shouted, reaching for one of the cards he had drawn a few turns back. "I play my second Pyre, discarding five cards from my hand to bring back five dragons from my graveyard!" Slapping all but one of his cards into his graveyard, Kevin waited anxiously for the five cards that were then deposited into his hand, which he laid out on his Duel Disk. On his field appeared once again his Death Volstargaf (2200/1700), Kaiser Glider (2400/2000), King Dragun (2400/1100), Clone Dragon (0/0) and his Avarice Dragon (500/200).

"Now for a play that even make Seto Kaiba proud!" he exclaimed, holding his one card above his head. "I play Magical Substitute, which costs half of my Life Points, but can act as any magic card that has been played this duel. And I choose my Polymerization!"

Kevin-500/Serena-3100

Realization dawned on Serena at the instant as the giant vortex of fusion appeared and began to pull all five dragons in. She knew instantly the legendary beast that Kevin was invoking!

"I fuse together five dragon monsters in order to summon the ultimate dragon! I summon the Five God Dragon (5000/5000)!" The beast was huge, beyond any other that Kevin or Serena had ever summoned. But beyond that, it had five heads! Five serpentine heads, one of fire, another apparently aquatic, another of darkness, one with dark scales, and the center one tan with a set of horns that appeared to look like some sort of crown.

"This is an invincible monster, Serena!" Kevin bellowed hysterically. "It can't be beaten by anything but a Light monster. But there's no way you could summon a monster strong enough, let alone such a selective type, in time. For now, Five God Dragon, attack Sapphire God Soldier!" As one, the five heads opened their respective maws and gathered energy, firing five individual attacks that merged together as they sped for her monster, disintegrating him almost instantly.

Kevin-500/Serena-900

"End turn." Kevin laughed. Serena drew her card, gave a look of dismay, switched her dragon to defense mode, and ended.

"Is that all?" Kevin mocked. All he needed was a monster with nine hundred attack points and he could end the Duel. Sadly, he was greeted by the face of his Flute of Summoning Dragon magic card, which was completely useless to him at the moment. "Five God Dragon, attack her Bloodstone Dragon now!" Again the five heads unleashed their apocalyptic attack, dissolving Serena's last card. Kevin nodded to her with a sneer on his face, allowing her to begin her turn.

Slowly she drew a card, but was cut off by Kevin's harsh voice. "Remember, the time has come for you to discard your entire hand!" he said, and she complied. "It's over for you Serena. You have no cards in your hand, and your pathetic face down cards can't stop my Five God Dragon. Because if they could you'd have used them already! You can't scare me out of attacking! You're done! The Blue Eyes White Dragon will soon be mine!"

"Kevin, did you think I'd play Life Slashing Treasure in such a high stakes duel without taking some precautions?" Serena asked of him, instantly shutting him up. "Activate face down card, Card of Sanctity, allowing me to draw six cards, and you get three." Both duelists drew their new cards and took a quick glance at them.

"Now Kevin, since I had to discard my hand, your Blue Eyes returned to your grave, but now it will leave your domain forever."

"You can't be serious." Kevin ridiculed, despite the fact that Serena's face showed that she was anything but kidding.

"I play Monster Reborn on your Blue Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500)!" Kevin's graveyard began to glow and then spat a card out of it, flinging said card across the field and into Serena's hands, from whence she slapped it onto her Duel Disk. With a howl unlike any Kevin had ever heard uttered by the leviathan, it rose from a vortex of pure light. "Next up is Premature Burial, paying eight hundred Life Points to revive the Blue Eyes you destroyed earlier on!" A second vortex appeared, and out emerged a second Blue Eyes White Dragon.

Kevin-500/Serena-100

"Now, I'll play my Polymerization card to fuse them together with the Blue Eyes in my hand to create my great-grandfathers secret trump card, Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon (4500/3800)!"

The three dragons slowly descended into the dark vortex behind them, twisting and warping into one. After a few seconds, a new creature appeared. This newest dragon was equally massive to Kevin's Five God Dragon, but only had three heads, each appearing to be a more advanced version of the normal Blue Eyes.

"Most impressive, Serena, but your dragon is still five hundred points to weak. Too bad."

"Go face down cards!" Serena commanded, as if not hearing Kevin's words. "Ultimate Burst Stream allows each of the heads of my dragon to attack separately with an attack power of forty-five hundred. Then there's my Brave Attack, which will combine all three of my dragons attacks into one, meaning its forty-five hundred times three, coming at you all at once!"

Kevin took a step back in fear and realization. He glanced at his field; nothing! He stared at his hand of cards: nothing! He looked across to Serena's hydra, and it was as if he heard a voice telling him to let it go.

"But I don't want to!" he yelled. But these words fell on deaf ears as the three dragon heads charged their attacks together (13500). "There must be something-"

"There is nothing, Kevin! You've tried your best, but the Blue Eyes have chosen me!" Serena called. "Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack!"

The three attacks surged as one across the field and collided with Kevin's monster, which seemed hesitant to fall at first, but soon gave in and began to fall back, crumbling into dust as it fell.

Kevin-0/Serena-100

Falling to his knees, Kevin began to weep uncontrollably. Serena looked down on her field, at the three dragon cards which were on the plate. Undoubtably this was how her great-grandfather had felt a century before whenever he played them together.

Sadly, Serena was snapped out of this reminiscence by a sudden scream. She looked up from her cards to see Kevin howling in agony as he clutched his chest, convulsing.

_'Did the defeat cause him to have a nervous breakdown?'_ Serena wondered as she stared in shock at the situation before her. After a minute, Kevin's body lurched forward and slammed against the ground with a thud, and moved no more.

Rushing over to him, Serena checked for a pulse and was relieved to find that there was one, and that it was stable.

"But, what happened?"

"It's simple, my dear Miss Kaiba." an eloquent voice mused from behind her. She whipped around to find Ouja Monotori there, a Duel Disk on his arm and active. "He's simply had his soul removed."

"You're joking. You don't really believe such a thing is possible, do you?" Serena scoffed.

"Why don't I prove it to you, then." Ouja smiled. "We will duel, you will lose, and I will take your soul."

"But why?" Serena asked.

"Because, I don't want Kai to be under any more stress when he Duels me." Ouja shrugged. "He's awakened the power I wanted him to awaken, but one more duel than is necessary would just be such a bother, as it would drain him and would make me wait longer. No, I'd rather do things this way."

"Very well, Ouja.' Serena coldly stated. "Prepare to lose, and then you'll give me some real answers and not this crap about taking souls."

"Please, if you want to be so down to business, then draw your hand." he barked, drawing five cards. "And, please, don't call me Ouja anymore. Call me Bakura."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In a small cylindrical room, Kai Kaethan lay against the cold steel. He wasn't moving. His breathing was silent. But in his dreams, he thought her heard a scream. His fingers twitched.

_To Be Continued..._

Wow! Bet you didn't see that coming!There you have it. The end of the conflict between Serena Kaiba and Kevin Hunter. Sure, it wasn't my best work, but there are reasons why I don't like writing for Kevin Hunter.

Anyway, as said, that's the end of that. Kai's unconcious still, Kevin's soul is gone, and Serena's taking on a whole new type of fight!

I would like to thank Aldea for providing Serena Kaiba, who fit the role perfectly and made this chapter work. Furthermore, I would like to thank Seeker of the Soul, because without him and the idea for the union monster companions to the Jeweled Dragons (as he and I call them) this chapter would not have been possible. Again, thank you both.

_Next Time: Ouja, or better yet, Bakura, has revealed his true actions and has challenged Serena to a duel with her immortal soul on the line. But can Serena fight back when she doesn't fully understand what she's dealing with and when her opponent is a thousand year old spirit who has many times before displayed his proficiency in the game of Duel Monsters? And what of Kai? What is it that Ouja wants from him? And will he be able, after the bout with Etsu, to defend himself, let alone the innocent people in this fortress who have had their souls ripped from their bodies? Wait and see._

_Next Time: The Dark Game of Destiny_

Review Responses-

Gearried the Iron Angel- Indeed, it was quite the chapter. A lot of pain did go into it, but what I got out of it was the greatest creation I've ever rendered. And I did see your new one (Which you should already know, since I reviewed it over 24 hours ago).

The White Mage- I liked that chapter a lot as well. In fact, it's now my favorite one that I've done. But I don't know if I'd say that I worship Kenshin. What makes you say that I worship him? I mean, yeah, it's a good show, probably my favorite anime, but I don't know what ever gave you the idea that I worship him.

Seeker of the Soul- That lecture was a good one, as was the duel. And far better than D'harim's scene, that it was. Concerning the lecture, I figured you'd be one of few to figure it out, and that'd you do it via simple logic. And hey, I was right.

Matrix Fighter- It is good that she got through to Kai. But the question now is, can he really change and adapt his life, or is it too late for him? And well done in getting the correct scene.

Noble Paladin- You are focusing too much on the idea of reactions by the characters to specific events. And, if Etsu did die, he'd become more depressed than he had been before, because he'd determine that it was his fault. And no, you're wrong with all three of your guesses.

Blue-Eyes White Knight- Good to see you up off your butt and reviewing again. There you have it. I think it did a good job of sending Kevin off with a bang, no?

The Helldragon- What's wrong with a long Duel? They're fun, you know, for the kids. As for Kai getting smacked around, let's not forget that first of all, he started off with only a portion of his full strength. Furthermore, by the time he was in full swing, she had a number of Breaker's on the field, which create their own sort of lock.

G.O.T. Nick- No, not Outlaw Star. I haven't seen that show since I was 13 man. And I only saw that episode twice. But a good and original guess, so I guess I'll slip you a Kudo for it. And of course Kai's gonna get stronger with each duel. At least, he will for the time being. There are limits, after all. It's just that Tenken was trying to draw out his power, while Etsu was helping him get a grip on reality.

SulliMike23- Mien GOTT? What is that? Anyway, yes, like flies they do drop. It happens when you have evil Egyptian tomb robbers who refuse to die in a position of power.

John- Indeed, they did battle. Of course, the title and the episode description I gave may have both tipped you off, cheater.

There you all have it. See ya.

Original Cards-

Kevin- Cost of Greed, Magma the Hellfire Ryu, Wraith the Shadow Ryu, Pyre, Dragon Lord Call, Dragon Trophy, Magical Substitute

Serena- Crystal Dragon, Crystal Templar, Emerald Dragon, Diamond Dragon, Unbridled Desire, Radiance Dragon, Diamond Shield, Dragon Lore, Ultimate Burst Stream

By Seeker of the Soul- Emerald Paladin, Diamond Soldier, Repayment of Losses, Sapphire God Soldier, Ruby Soldier

By Aldea- Bloodstone Dragon


	21. The Dark Game of Destiny

Man, I got a few protests to Kevin losing, and even more people took the chance to state the obvious fact that it happened. Yes, Kevin lost. Get over it. It was going to happen no matter what. Here we have it, the prelude to the final battle. I kinda feel guilty that you guys wont get the duel you were hoping for. You'll see what I mean this chapter. Here we go.

**Chapter Twenty-One: The Dark Game of Destiny**

"What's with the premature duel, Ouja?" Serena asked, her tone even and focused. The white-haired man simply chuckled and inserted his deck into his Duel Disk.

"I told you, call me Bakura. That's my real name, always has been. But all of that aside, you're in my way. You se, Kai has a few things that I want, but he's also currently rather exhausted. I thought I'd give him another five minutes to catch his breath before I duel him. Quite frankly, I need him to be able to stand up for our duel, and if he faced you, it's possible that he simply wouldn't be able to." he explained, but with a new voice, this one cold, sinister and raspy.

"And what is it that you want from Kai that you need to duel him for it?" Serena asked, nonplused.

"His Millennium Rod, his Guardian powers, and his immortal soul." he answered as if it were an answer from a five-year old.

"You really believe in magic?" Serena asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not only do I believe in it, I wield it at well. And if you don't believe me, prepare to be converted, because when I defeat you, I'll take that strong, flamboyant soul of yours to increase my power." he sneered, drawing five cards. He then drew a sixth and chuckled. "I set one monster face down, and set one card face down. End." he smiled, folding his arms across his chest, his four remaining cards still fanned out. Drawing a card, Serena took a few seconds to decide on which course ofaction she would take.

"I summon Emerald Paladin (1300/200) in attack mode, and then I get to special summon my Emerald Dragon (2400/1400) in attack mode!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Outside the Duel Fortress, about a mile north of the structure had been erected a small skyscraper, less than twenty stories high. On the roof of that skyscraper was a tall figure in his early twenties, long black hair bound down his back. He wore simple khakis with a red t-shirt with a black, long sleeved suede black shirt hanging open over it.

His arctic blue eyes remained concentrate on the building where six innocents had just been stripped of their very essence, a seventh soon to join them, and the only one capable of making the difference was currently unconscious. Overall, it was not a good situation.

"Kai, you must get up. You must stand and fight. You have powers that transcend the physical plane, now use them."Tenken uttered in a low tone. "In the coming battle, you will be key in defeating a peril unlike any you have ever before imagined, let alone heard of. Even once I awaken the other Guardians, they will need your mind to lead them, and they will need your power to strengthen them. Now rise, and fight!"

Tenken fell silent for a few seconds, no response coming to him. A few breezes brushed by him, followed by a particularly strong wind brushing along his back for a second.

"I don't have a wallet for you to take," Tenken spoke into the air, not moving in the slightest bit, but that did little to eliminate the surprise from the face of a young man about his age with thick, spiked dirty blonde hair which reached down to his lower neck, appearing both tamed and untamed at the same time. His build was rather slender, but there was an obvious amount of muscle underneath his thin and baggy desert clothing. However, the shock he felt could only seen in one of his eyes, as the left one was covered by a leather eyepatch. "Nikolas Selket. It seems that fate has smiled upon me." Tenken raised his arm and his thin crescent Duel Disk appeared on his arm, deck already in place.

"How did you...?" the young thief stammered, unable to complete his question.

"I could sense your energy, although I must applaud you. Your years as a thief has taught you stealth in your motions, which has, without your knowing, also allowed you to hide you mystical energy at the same. It wasn't until you made contact with me that I could sense you. Yes, you're very powerful, and will be extremely helpful in the final battle."

Nick looked either thunderstruck or sickened; and felt just as confused within himself. "What are you talking about."

"Prepare to awaken." Tenken declared, drawing six cards.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Within the small cylindrical room which was the elevator, Kai continued to lay on his stomach, his eyes closed and his mind nearly just cut off from reality. He was asleep, and yet he was aware at the same time, as though he were now _part_ of someone else's dream rather than just the observer.

He could see, and yet not see, the energies of several people all around him, could hear what they said, and yet could make no sense of it. He couldn't get any kind of grasp on any of it. And so he continued to lay there.

_'I have got to get up. I have to face whoever is on the other side of that door. I have to keep going. I can't let it all go to waste. Not after I've learned so much!'_ And yet his body wouldn't move.

_'Please!'_he shouted at himself. _'Come on!'_

And amazingly enough, this time he moved. The fingers of his right and began to twitch a little and his head lifted off the ground about half an inch. After a few seconds he dropped again against the steel floor.

_'Etsu...Help me...'_ he pleaded. Again he pushed against the floor, his body feeling as though it weighed several thousand pounds. _'Etsu!'_ he shouted in his mind, summoning the image of her face to the forefront of his minds eye. _'I am going to keep going, not because of my parents, but for me!'_ Slowly, amazingly, he began to rise a bit more. He was tired. His muscles were exhausted. His mind we caught up in a flurry of chaos. He rose a bit more, his body screaming at him to stop. Bitting back the pain, he continued to push against the groung. His breathing was already ragged and he was perspiring.

As he neared the point at which he'd have his upper body straight up and his weight on his knees, he again collapsed, his torso hitting the ground with a hard 'thud'. He instantly began to berate himself for giving out when he was so close, but it was no use. His body had no ego to damage or to entice, and so he continued to lay there.

_'So, this is where I end? I'm on the verge of the finals of the greatest event this planet has seen in over fifty years, and I'm not going to make it because I couldn't master myself? After all the power I've unlocked, after everything I've learned, and after I'm finally willing to actually fight for something, and I'm going to lose like this?'_

It was almost laughable to think about how he would lose. Eventually, the elevator would spit him out, and his unmoving body would tumble onto the floor. His opponent would wait a minute before declaring a forfeit, and that would be it. Game over. Kai would lose. He'd lose without even trying.

_'No!'_ he shouted to himself. _'I don't want it to be like that. I wont let Etsu's defeat be in vain. I wont let myself down, and I wont let her down! I wont let my opponent down, either. They came to Battle City and fought their way to the top to face a true Duelist!'_

Again he began to rise, but this time it was little trouble to get to one knee. The trick lay in getting to both feet now.

_"Rise, Kai. You are the Guardian of Time. Rise!"_ he suddenly heard, the voice ringing in his head.

"That's right." he breathed. "Tenken's counting on me. He told me that if I wanted to prepare to face the coming darkness, then I had to go the Finals and learn more and grow stronger!" Slowly he began to push off of his right foot, bringing his left knee off of the floor, but still unable to get his foot underneath him. "I am going to face what's ahead! I wont let a few bruises stand in my way!"And before his body could protest, he forced his left leg fully underneath him and shifted some of his body weight onto it, wincing as a sharp pain shot through his leg.

Much to his surprise, as he gained his balance, the doors before him slid open. To his greater surprise was the fact that there were three bodies within the room, and only one of them was standing.

"Ouja...Monotori? Why are you here? And what happened?" he asked, his surprise evident in his voice.

"Ah, Kai, you're finally here. Well, Ms. Kaiba managed to defeat young Kevin Hunter here. But I couldn't let her duel you, because I wanted that chance, and you didn't have it in you for two more consecutive duels. So I took it upon myself to cut that in half to one. Now it's just you and me Kai. Are you ready?"

"What do you mean? Why is dueling me so important to you?" Kai asked, rather taken aback.

"Ah yes, you wouldn't know or fully understand, would you, Kai. Please, follow me." Ouja offered, turning his back and heading for the back elevator.

"No." Kai declared, reaching to his back and grasping the Millennium Rod and bringing it forth in a threatening manner. Ouja turned his head around and smirking in amusement.

"That's very funny, Kai. Do you really think you can use that against me? Do you really think you have the knowledge or power? You couldn't even kill a man when your rage was at its greatest, so what makes you think you could do anything to me?" At this, Kai's face took on a look of surprise and his muscles slackened slightly in wonder.

_'How does he know?'_

"Don't look so surprised, Kai. After all, my eyes and ears are everywhere. Like you noted only a few short hours ago, my resources are nearly limitless." came the smug reply.

"You still haven't answered my question." Kai seethed boldly, hiding his fatigue as best as he could.

"Very well. They have had their souls extracted. So have all of the other finalists who have lost a duel here in this fortress." he explained, his tone remaining even.

"What? How?" Kai demanded, his voice riddled with bewilderment.

"If you would come with me, I might explain." the white haired business man sneered, entering the elevator. Sighing in defeat, Kai took the several pained steps through the room to enter the elevator, which closed its doors and began to rise. They ascended in silence, arms folded and staring each other down.

After about three minutes the elevator came to a halt and opened its doors, allowing them both to exit into another room, this one empty of bodies. Kai stopped at the end nearer where they entered, lacking the will to walk across the entire room. Soon they were set, facing each other with their decks in place.

"Now Kai, you've endured three Darkness Games thus far in my tournament. I assume you know what these are, being the history specialist that you are." Kai nodded. "Then I assume that you also would understand who I am if I were to tell you that my name is Bakura." To this, Kai had no reaction. He had never heard this name before, despite all of the studies he'd undergone. Ouja, or more appropriately, Bakura, sighed and then returned his focus to Kai.

"I suppose they worked to keep me out of history. Very well. Three thousand years ago, I was the greatest tomb raider their ever was. I had more power than anyone could possibly face. Or, at least, so I thought. Eventually the Pharaoh Atem, being the bastard child that he was, somehow managed to defeat me and my guardian spirit, or Ka, and so I was sealed away within the Millennium Ring."

"One hundred years ago the Ring came into the hands of a young man name Ryou, who was in fact my reincarnation, much to my relief. I quickly possessed the boy, will easy enough to break. Using him, I eventually drew Atem, who was using the body of a boy name Yugi, into a Darkness Game wherein we revisited the past and his memories were returned. Sadly, his friends somehow found his true name hidden within the recesses of his mind, and he released the power to defeat me."

"I was destroyed, or mostly. Only a fraction of me remained within Bakura. I had been purged from the Millennium Ring and Puzzle, and all of the Millennium Items were lost, and so I had no connection to any sort of magical item to draw power from. I was weak. Very weak. And I couldn't show myself without alerting Yugi's friends. So instead I waited, and waited. Shortly after the events that shook the Earth, Yugi and his friends passed away, and I took my chance. I had strength enough then to cease control of Bakura's body the instant that he died. My spirit in full control rejuvenated his old and decrepit body, and granted it immortality. Using my knowledge of the ancient world, I managed to raid a few tombs to acquire the funds to begin my company, which I used to monitor the world until the Millennium Items would return and I could once again vie for power, this time unheeded." he laughed as he completed his lecture.

Kai merely stared. He had never heard such an outrageous story, and yet, a part of him spoke and affirmed the truth of these words to him. But it seemed impossible. Immortal? Ancient spirit of evil? Thief? Ka? None of it made sense.

"And so you want my Millennium Rod?" Kai assumed, returning the golden object in question to the holster on his back.

"That was my initial plan, yes." Ouja, or rather, Bakura, smiled. "But then something happened. The Guardian, Tenken came, and that alone threw the magical balance in the air around this city into chaos. But then it was revealed that _you_ were a Guardian, and I thought all Hell was going to break loose. I saw my chance. I would obtain the Millennium Rod _and_ the powers of a Guardian. I couldn't believe my fortune!"

"You..." Kai seethed, narrowing his eyes. "You monster."

"Oh please, you don't know a fraction of the evils acts I've committed." Bakura chortled. "For example, I employed the Rare Hunters in order to make sure you and Kevin reached the finals. Kevin's soul carried within it a large amount of untapped energy, and I wanted to push him to his limits, which I did by threatening him and then the girl he had fallen in love with. I left you to your own designs. I didn't need to worry about you making it to the Finals, you and the power you held."

"Damn you." Kai breathed softly, narrowing his eyes. Despite the pain he was in, he could feel adrenaline pumping, beginning to block out the pain and fatigue. Quickly it was dissipating, and his resolve to destroy this demon was growing at the same rate. With a snap of his arm, the Duel Disk on his left arm clicked into place, and a hand of five cards was in place. But beyond that, noticed at first only by Bakura, but a few seconds later by Kai, was the flare of blue magical energy around Kai's body.

"Ah, excellent, you're ready." Bakura smirked, raising his own arm. "Very good. However, we need a change of scenery, don't you think?" With a snap of his fingers, he and Kai were surrounded by a black fog, just like the one he had been surrounded by when he had dueled Tenken. "Welcome to a Darkness Game, Kai Kaethan. Allow me to explain that in the realm where we are now, everything is a part of reality, and the rules of any game are changed, normally to the favor of the who initiates the game, since they set the rules." he chuckled.

"And those rules are?" Kai asked, his voice resolute.

Waving a hand, four crystals, smooth, black and oblong shaped appeared in front of Bakura and another four in front of Kai, only Kai's were white and ridged prisms. Curiously, Kai examined the crystals in front of him. However, once his intellect had left him without a clue as to what they were, he turned again to Bakura. "What are these?"

"These, Kai," the white haired man explained, waving his hand over his four crystals. "Are called Kioku Yours are called Hari. Each of these will be indirectly linked to our Life Points. Each will have a different point value, the first being set to five hundred. The next is one thousand, then two thousand, and then four thousand. In order to destroy one, you must deal me enough overflow damage to destroy one of them, and the same for me if I want to destroy one of yours. So you must deal at least five hundred points of damage to me to destroy the first one. True, we'll still take damage normally, but, if you want to defeat me, you must destroy all four Kioku, as well as leave me with zero Life Points. Furthermore, if either of us gains Life Points, we can regenerate or even create a new Kioku or Hari."

"Is that all?" Kai asked, his power flaring slightly. Bakura shook his head.

"No, not at all. You see, since this is a Darkness Game, there is a need for me to add some sort of rule which would affect us in matters of the soul and mind."

"I don't understand." was Kai's response.

"You see, Kai, each of these Kioku also holds a memory of pain or anguish from your life." Bakura ued. "The more points protecting that memory, the more stressful it will be on you, since it will be a memory you have worked harder hide away. Whenever you destroy one, you will be forced to relive that memory."

"And the Hari?" Kai asked, his eyes narrowing. He was not liking the terms of this game. If it was a Bakura then as time went on, it'd become harder and harder to attack. He'd be entirely unable to win if he were forced to relive his greatest fears!

"Each of those holds the soul of someone in this tower right now. Currently you have Mr. Hunter, Miss Haeru, Miss Akira, and Miss Kaiba."

"What?" Kai gasped in shock. "But, wont that destroy them?"

"To be quite honest, I don't know." Bakura shrugged. "I've never seen a game like this finish. The players tend to break down half way through it from the emotional stress. Let's see if you can't do what others couldn't."

_'I have to face him.'_ Kai declared to himself. _'I can't just sit back as he eludes justice. But why does it have to be me? Why couldn't Tenken face him? This guy seems like a threat to the rest of existence.'_

"This will be quite delicious." Bakura smirked. "The perfect victory. When you lose, you will die, being crushed by the guilt of your failure, the possible death of your friends -including Etsu- but also while reliving your most feared and guarded memory. Think of the emotional agony!"

Kai bit back the small moment of fear, his resolve once again flaring, his power doing so as well. "Let's go."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tenken looked up into the sky, a small smile on his face. On the ground in front of him was Nikolas Selket, on his knees and shivering, a mix of shock and pain on his face. However, Tenken smiled, both as the events of their duel replayed in his mind, but also as he felt a surge of power in the building behind him.

"Excellent Kai. Very, good. Now, duel, and learn."

Original Cards-None, fun isn't it. Made my life a lot easier this time round.

There you have it. Another short chapter, but it sets the stage for the final Duel. Yes, this will be the final collision between good and evil in the story. Afterwards, there will be come aftermath, and then the next Arc will begin, with a lot more darkness and more intense duels. So, let's get this one going.

Next Time:_ Kai must face off against Bakura, who has proven to have far more resolve not to die than any of us ever thought, having endured even the great darkness game in which Zork was revived. Can Kai win a duel when he still doesn't know the full extent of what's happening? And what has Tenken unearthed? Next time, in Return of Battle City: Wandering Souls, Darkness of the Past._

Reviewer Responses:

Gearfried the Iron Angel- Nothing! She couldn't do anything, as you can see. She lost, as all to many do when Bakura is involved.

Darksoulkai- I don't know if I deserve that kind of credit. May want to go read thegymrat's fic, What Was, What Is, and What Shall Be before you start to compliment me like that. But it was nice of you to say that, so thanks anyway.

Demon Fan- I didn't say that they're dull. It's a joke my friend and I share, saying they lack personality. What we mean by that is that they're very cold, stoic types. But you realize that after what you just said, we only have about three characters in common, right? And I don't recall there ever being a character in Ronin Warriors named Phoenix. Sorry, I think you've got your animes mixed up.

Blue-Eyes White Knight- Indeed, it was intense.

The White Mage- Yes, it is cool to see that Bakura is back. But as for what he's after, and as for how he beat Serena, you may never know. Why? Because I'm evil like that.

G.O.T. Nick- Yes, it is a crappy way of going. But there are worse ways. And I hope you enjoy that kudo. You wouldn't believe what I went through to get it for you.

John- Cheater.

DragonMaster- Kevin was your favorite to win the Finals? You really think he'd have stood a chance against Kai's Time Deck? You really think that? Serena beat him fairly with skill, power, and the fact that the Blue Eyes chose her over Kevin. And I really don't think Serena deserves to be called 'bitch'. I mean, she's not nearly as bad as her great-grandfather. And yes, I am very happy to kill Kevin off. It makes room for my way cooler characters to appear next arc.

Noble Paladin- Indeed, it is cool, but it turned out worse than Seto's last duel with Bakura, as you can see. And yes, Kai's not very happy.

MatrixFighter- Kevin would have lost, not matter what, because the Blue Eyes chose Serena.

Seeker of the Soul- Yes, you did predict that, but you didn't predict who'd it'd be against. And they were very spiffy dragons, and I'm also not that big a fan of them. Sorry you didn't get the Serena/Bakura duel, but it happens some time.

SulliMike23- Yes, Kevin lost. Even if he'd beaten Serena, he would have lost to Kai, so it really doesn't matter.

The Helldragon- What's wrong with Serena winning? She used an awesome combo to beat Five God Dragon. I mean, it was freakin awesome! And it required a lot of thought to come up with. As for that detail about the colors, things happen. You know, you're up late during college finals week, and you kinda lose touch with reality.

Alright, that's all of them. See ya.


	22. Darkness of the Past

Here we have it, the beginning of the end of Return of Battle City: Wandering Souls. Kai must now face off against the ancient thief Bakura, and manage to both survive and win, with his own sanity and the souls of his friends on the line.

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Darkness of the Past**

"Are you ready, Kai?" Bakura asked, a sick grin spreading across his face. "I've been waiting for one hundred years to return to this realm and to take my revenge. Now I will." As he said this, Kai began to draw cards, trying to figure out what kind of strategies this man would try and use against him.

Kai-4000/Bakura-4000

"I'll go first!" Kai began, drawing a sixth card. Across form him, Bakura, the self-proclaimed thief of ancient Egypt, stood with his arms folded and a bemused smirk on his face. "I summon Guardian of the Archives (1000/2200) in defense mode. I'll also set two magic or trap cards, and end my turn." It was a simple enough opening play, but it would also be effective. "A fair move, Kai." Bakura nodded his approval. "In fact, I have nothing to counter it directly. So instead I believe I'll summon my Death Caliber Knight (1900/1800) in attack mode." A figure which was obviously deceased and carrying a large sword, riding on a steed which was equally dead appeared. "Next I'll set one card face down and end my turn."

_'The only reason he didn't attack me is because of my monsters defense points. However, if I don't counterattack, he'll be able to summon something strong enough soon.'_ Kai planned, looking over both fields while drawing a fourth card.

"I summon Alpha Sorcerer (1500/1100) in attack mode!" A small wizard in dark blue robes appeared, his wand at the ready. "That ends my turn."

Bakura drew a fifth card and his eyes danced for a moment. He then looked at Kai and smiled. "I'll set two cards face down and then I summon Demon Soldier (1900/1500) in attack mode, and end my turn." A warrior of the underworld it seemed was his new soldier, with purple scales, curled horns and armor smelted in the pits of Hell itself appeared.

"I summon a monster in defense mode and end my turn." Kai passed, unable to make any further move. "Also, since a turn has passed, Alpha Sorcerer has gained a Time Counter, granting him another two hundred attack points (1700)."

"You're beginning to bore me, Kai. Don't you have anything to fight me with?" Bakura taunted, but was given no response. "Very well, I shall take the initiative. I summon my Berserk King of the Dark Realm (1800/400) in attack mode." A demonic creature in brown rags appeared, hoisting a large spear into the air.

"Now I'll activate my magic card, Devils Avarice, allowing me to draw three cards from the bottom of my deck and then discard two from my hand." In a single motion he drew the cards and slipped two of them into his graveyard. "I just discarded my Advance Guard of the Dark Realm (1600/300) and Hunter of the Dark Realm (1400/800). When the Guard is discarded, he is special summoned to my field, and when the Hunter is discarded, I draw a card." Pulling a new card free, Bakura watched in satisfaction as another demonic soldier, this one in beige clothes and favoring a spear appeared.

"I activate my magic card, Gathering Shadows to sacrifice my Advance Guard of the Dark Realm in order to special summon two other demons identical to another demon on my field, meaning I may now summon two more Death Caliber Knights (1900/1800x2)" The beige clothed devil faded away, only to be replaced by two more of the sickly soldiers on decaying horses.

"Next comes the magic card, Descent into Darkness. I may now send any three cards from my deck to the graveyard to destroy two cards on your field." Fanning out his deck, Bakura easily found the cards he wanted to discard, and did so. At the same time, a sharp black wind struck Kai's field, seeming to hold thousands of needles within it, ripping away at one of his set cards and his Guardian of the Archives.

"Guardian of the Archives special ability activates! My cards cannot be destroyed by magic effects!" Kai called, and instantly the scarlet robed sorcerer raised his staff, instantly instilling a calm upon the field and ending Bakura's card effect.

"Now that your monster has activated its special ability, my Death Caliber Knight will do the same.' Bakura laughed. "I send him to the graveyard to instantly destroy your Guardian of the Archives, negating his effect!" In a sudden rush of courage, Bakura's demon kicked his steed into action, charging across the field, sword set to slice through Kai's monster, who set up a barrier. The thick sword crashed through the shield and speared into Kai's monster, spilling his blood onto the ground. Both faded away, and Bakura's black wind of needles once again came to life, this time ripping holes in Kai's two set cards, which shattered.

"Now it's time for me to activate the final card in my hand, Treasure of Hell! We both draw until we hold six cards, but we draw from the bottoms of our decks." Swiftly, Kai drew three cards while Bakura drew six. "Death Caliber Knight, destroy Alpha Sorcerer!" The second of his undead soldiers kicked his horse into action, charging across the field and slashing Kai's monster in two, spilling blood and bones onto the floor. Kai turned his head away in disgust.

Kai-3800/Bakura-4000

"Death Caliber Knight, attack his defense monster!" The third of the undead fiends charged Kai's field, sword set to lance the lone monster down.

"Activate magic card, Voice from the Dust!" Kai shouted as the magic card ejected into his hand from his graveyard. "This destroys your attacking monster." Sliding the card into his pocket, Kai was pleased to see Bakura's monster explode into a shower of rags and dried bones.

"Very well." Bakura shrugged, rather nonchalant. "Demon Soldier, attack!" The ram-horned beast leaped at Kai's monster and split it in two, revealing for a second a man in plain brown robes, who began to chant with his last breath.

"Mysterious Magister destroys one monster on your field and changes the battle position of all others." Kai explained. "However, your Death Caliber Knight has no choice but to sacrifice himself to negate my monsters effect. Don't matter, because you still can't attack me this turn." Kai breathed as his monster fell to pieces from having been sliced in two while Bakura's final horse-riding demon exploded, littering the ground with its remnants.

"Well played, Kai." Bakura admitted. "But I'm the one with a monster still, while your field is empty. And even if you could attack me, are you willing to risk the souls of your companions?"

"I have to take that chance." Kai answered immediately. "I know that they understand that there is so much more on the line. I've spent years shouldering guilt, and a little bit more wont make a difference, so long as I can send you to Hell."

"Excellent answer, Kai. Didn't know you had it in you. Very well, I end my turn."

Drawing a card, Kai bit his lower lip, trying to come up with some sort of counter strategy. Fortunately, he quickly found one that was easily at his disposal. "I play Instant Necromancy to special summon Alpha Sorcerer (1500/1100) for a turn." Again the blue robed magician appeared on Kai's field, but now returned to his base attack strength. "Next I'll summon Time Templar (1800/1400) in attack mode." A warrior in silver armor, equipped with two long swords appeared. "Now I play Time Jump to increase the turn count by three, giving both of my monsters three counters! That means I can sacrifice Alpha Sorcerer for my Sigma Sorcerer (2400/2400) in attack mode." The blue robed magician vanished and was replaced by an older version of himself, this time in black robes. "Now I can sacrifice two magic counters from Time Templar to destroy one of your monsters!" Crossing his swords, Kai's monster began to focus two points of light from his swords to the point where they intersected, drawing energy to that point and firing a beam of light which incinerated Bakura's monster, leaving a pile of ash.

"Sigma Sorcerer, attack directly!" Kai ordered. The black robed mage lifted his wand and began to chant, forming a ball of light at the tip.

"I activate Deceitful Abyss!" Bakura called, waving his hand as his did. "In exchange for any number of cards from my hand, I can destroy a number of cards on your field or deck equal to the amount discarded plus one. So I discard two cards to destroy your two monsters and the top card of your deck." With a low growl, Kai sent the two cards to his graveyard from his field and the one from his deck. "Also, as a final counter-balance to my card, I now take damage equal to the level of one of your destroyed monsters times one hundred. I think I'll choose your level four Templar."

Kai-3800/Bakura-3600

"However, Kai, now that I've taken direct damage without having a monster on the field, I can play my other trap card, Stairway Straight to Hades! This allows me to special summon two Envoy of Hades from my deck or hand to the field." Bakura laughed as two cards were ejected from his deck into his hand, which he then slapped onto his field.

The first was slender, possibly even feminine with black armor covering its body, several of the joints ending in spikes. The second was larger and more masculine, and on each forearm was a long and curved blade. "Envoy of Hades Kaien (2500/2700) and Envoy of Hades Goozu (2700/2500)." Bakura laughed. "Also, the two cards I discarded where Army God of the Dark Realm and Military God of the Dark Realm (2300/1400x2), who are both special summoned when discarded for card effects." Instantly two figures appeared, both large in stature. The first was tall with silver armor and a single long sickle in his hand. The second was much beggir in terms of muscle, with gold armor and wielding a massive scythe.

Staring at Bakura's four monsters, each one with an attack power above two thousand, Kai began to tremble. He looked at the three cards in his hand, and made a quick plan. It wasn't the best plan, but he'd survive at least.

"I set three cards face down and end my turn." he conceded.

Eyeing Kai's set cards warily, Bakura drew a card and sighed. "And so ends the Guardian of Time. I'll have all four of my monsters attack you directly, finishing you off, starting with Envoy of Hades Kaien!" The demon amazoness raised both of her arms, blades flashing as she charged. "And I should warn you, Envoy of Hades allows me to remove Dark monsters from my graveyard from play to negate any card you chain from the field to a Dark monster."

Depressing a card on his Duel Disk, Kai activated his magic card. It was risky, but he had to do it. "I activate Emergency Provisions to destroy my two face down cards and increase my Life Points by two thousand." he declared, wincing slightly in pain as his sore muscles pushed on the Duel Disk. Instantly his three face down cards exploded and two released streams of light which flowed into his body.

Kai-5800/Bakura-3600

As the attacking monsters drew closer, Kai reached for his graveyard. "I'm not done." he called across the field. "I activate my grave magic card, Time Flux, which reduces the attack points of your monsters to become equal to their level multiplied by one hundred!" (Goozu-700)(Kaien-700)(Army God-500)(Military God-500)

Each of the demonic creatures began to shrink down as they drew closer to Kai, with Kaien still in the lead. With a simple twist of her wrists she slashed im across the chest, drawing a thin line of crimson as it tore through his shirt and skin.

Kai-5100/Bakura-3600

Gasping in pain and surprise, Kai clutched his chest with his right hand and took many swift breathes, even as Bakura's remaining monsters moved in. However, Kai wasn't going to take more hits than he needed to, and so he once again held his hand over his graveyard, and another card what shot into his palm. Instantly the remaining three monsters exploded, their flesh and clothe fragments littering the floor, where Kai noticed the remains of earlier monsters still lay rather than having disappeared.

"Archmages Judgement activates when I take a direct attack, and destroys all monsters on your field that have not yet attacked this turn." Kai explained as his fit another card into his pocket, beginning to raise from his right knee to try and stand again.

"I think you've forgotten something." Bakura chuckled. "Now that I've dealt you a strike of five hundred points or more, your first Hari will be destroyed. It's time for you to relive one of your most painful memories." Bakura sneered as Kai's eyes widened in realization. He'd miscalculated, and now he had no clue what was to come...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Despite the destruction of past events, seventy years is plenty of time for a species as adaptive as humanity to begin to rebuild. As such, modern schools saw little change from what they had been nearly a century before. Desks, computers, lockers, chalkboards, and other basic elements of the classroom were present in any school across the world, and Kai's school had been no different.

What he now beheld was what could be taken for any day in the sixth grade during the end of the lunch break. Some students were reading, others talking, and some were just returning from having spent the break outside in the fine spring weather. And more still were sitting in rows across from each other, Duel Monsters cards in their fingers and on the desks. The teacher was no where to be seen, most likely in the lounge, enjoying a moment of sanity to ponder the question he asked himself every day: "Why do I do this to myself? What narcotic was strong enough to rob me of all sense of sanity when I signed the contract and took this job?"

However, not everyone was involved with their classmates. In the center most seat in the front rows sat an eleven year-old Kai Kaethan, a somber look in his eyes as he shoveled the last bits of rice into his mouth. He didn't have any friends to talk with, and those who dueled no longer allowed him to join them, saying he was "Too weird to play with them and not with the desk space."

Kai, however, knew the truth. They were tired of him beating them so badly. Not only was he too smart for his own good, but he was too good a duelist, and they just didn't want to accept both facts at once.

"Kai?" a young, feminine voice muttered to his left. He noticed someone sit down in the chair next to him, but did not turn his face away from his desk and the empty container that had carried his lunch. "Are you ok." Still he did not respond. He heard the girl open her mouth and breath in a small bit of air, but she never got a chance to say anything more, for it was at the moment that another voice spoke up.

"Kaethan's got a girl!" Everyone but Kai either turned to look at him or at the young man who had pointed the fact out. "This just can't be. Miyuki, what were you doing, really? No person in their right mind would sit next to Kai if they could avoid it, and then they'd never talk to him. Besides, didn't you know that because he hasn't spoken to anyone in years he doesn't remember how to talk?" Kai continued to look at his desk.

"No, I..." the girl named Miyuki startled, lost for words. Kai was a labeled outcast, and she knew that. As such, it wouldn't be right to associate with him, and definitely not on friendly terms. "It's just that he was so alone..." she stammered, trying to cover up for herself.

"Hear that, Kaethan? By simply being a complete loser you've managed to win the pity of a girl. Isn't that sweet." the boy mocked. Still Kai did not react. "I said did you hear me, history boy?"

"He heard you." Miyuki boldly defended. Upon hearing these words, Kai actually stirred, but no one noticed, all their attention on Miyuki now, some with their mouths open. "Why can't you bastards leave him alone? He didn't do anything to you!"

"The instant he sat down in class and started turning teachers against us he did. Look at him! He's nothing special! He doesn't play sports, he doesn't have friends or connections, he doesn't do anything great, and yet the teachers side with him anyway!" the young man shouted back. "And if you want to betray the rest of us, Miyuki, and be his lover, that's your problem. We don't have any trouble dealing with two freaks. It may even liven the experience up a bit."

At these words, Miyuki's lips began to tremble and her eyes gained a frightened look in them as she backed away. Turning on her heal, she bolted for the door, her face in her hands. She didn't even stop when she plowed right into the teacher, knocking him onto his back. All that the young Kai could do was stare at his desk, where a single drop of water lay, in the spot straight down from his eye.

The older Kai watched this and the anger in him began to bubble. He remembered that day well, and seeing it again brought with it other memories. Memories of the last few months of the school year as the other kids teased both him and Miyuki for various reasons, even though she had made no attempt at all to make any kind of contact with Kai. Flyers were passes around amongst the students about how Kai and Miyuki were a couple, someone having used a few computer tricks to edit some yearbook pictures to make it look like the two were making out with their clothes off. Other kids claimed to have tapes of the two in some rather, erm, interesting activities. Many other such similar jokes spread across the school, but were somehow done in a stealthy enough manner that the teachers couldn't take any form of action.

Kai himself hadn't minded it so much. By that time he was used to the isolation and the prodding, but he still felt guilty that because someone had an ounce of compassion that she had to suffer what he did each day. Furthermore, there was nothing he could do about it, and the one time he did try to talk with her to see if there was anything he could do to return the favor, she had pushed him back, hurtling a great deal of blame at him, along with a few choice words and certain finger gestures.

Of course, Kai's guilt would only multiply on the last day os school of that year. The day that it was announced that Miyuki Kaito had committed suicide. Instantly all of the children blamed Kai, because if he hadn't gotten involved with her, then she wouldn't have gotten so depressed. This in and of itself wasn't so bad for Kai. It was the letter that was found in her room afterwards, addressed to him. At first he had been afraid to open it, fearing that he may not have been able to handle whatever she had last wanted to say. He was horrified a year later when he finally did open and read it, to find that in the end, as she completed her suicidal plans, that she chose to blame him as well.

All that Kai had been able to do then was shake with guilt, because to him, it seemed right. In his mind, he couldn't rationalize his way out of it, and so had chosen to accept that it was his fault. He was even more infuriated when he couldn't cry! He hadn't been able to shed a tear of caring since that day that she had first shown compassion for him, and now he resented it, because when he really needed to, he couldn't cry.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Trembling, Kai opened his eyes, the memory over. However, it did little to remove the fact that the guilt he had buried years ago was starting to return. Even more sickening was the fact that he could see Bakura, a smug look of superiority on his face.

"That was interesting." he smiled. "How does it feel Kai, knowing that you're responsible for her gross crime?"

"Shut up!" Kai shouted back, raising to his feet. "You don't know anything about that! You couldn't understand."

"True, being the evil creature from Hell that I am, I actually delight in this sort of thing. But you're the one who doesn't understand, Kai." the white-haired businessman continued to laugh. "That was the least protected of the memories we have here. That means that once I deal another thousand Life Points of damage, it should be much more enjoyable a show."

Kai's entire body went rather slack at hearing this and as the realization hit him. It was true. The next memory would be much worse. But what was worse, Kai wasn't sure what his most highly guarded memory was! Most of them he'd sealed away from himself, and those that remained were rather blurry. Beyond that, he wasn't sure which ones were worse than others. No one ever truly knows what their greatest fear is.

"Just duel." he stammered, blinking hard, hoping that would remove the images from his mind.

"Very well." Bakura chuckled. "I set one card face down and end my turn."

Drawing a card, Kai prayed for a good topdeck. Turning the card around, he sighed. "Twilight Renewal gives me a new hand if I don't have any cards when I play it." Kai explained, relieved by his good fortune as he drew five new cards. As he looked over his new cards, Kai noticed something rather odd. "Why is my deck still do thick? We've both drawn a good number of cards, yet our decks look fully loaded."

"You fool." Bakura sighed. "These are Soul Decks. Surely you've figured it out by now. When your power reaches a certain point in a Darkness Game, your Soul can create a deck. As long as you have the strength, or as long as you don't intend to, you can't deck out."

Kai took a moment to take this in, but then smiled mildly at this information. It meant that he didn't have to worry about that fact. However, he also couldn't afford to let this duel go on forever. Selecting the cards he wanted, he made his play.

"I set two magic or trap cards face down and summon a monster in defense mode. End."

"I summon Dead Credit Mage (1700/1200) in attack mode." A figure with a charcoal cloak appeared, hunched over and carrying a decrepit staff in a decaying hand appeared. "And I'll have him destroy your face down monster." Raising his staff, the undead wizard fired a ball of black ethereal flames, which flipped Kai's monster over instantly. A man in white robes could be seen, twisting about in agony. "And now your monster will be returned to the top of your deck. You're finished, Kai." Bakura chuckled as the monster disappeared and Kai lifted the card off of his duel disk.

"Not quite." Kai smiled slightly. "You've destroyed Immortal Magister, who allows me to draw a card when destroyed, summon another Immortal Magister from my deck, and then shuffle. So I'll summon the one you just sent b ack to my deck, then draw, and then shuffle. My all means, keep on attacking him." It was true. Using Dead Credit Mage in this situation gave Kai the advantage, because it would only increase the number of times he got to use them.

"Envoy of Hades-Kaien, attack his Immortal Magister!" In the blink of an eye, Kai's monster had been slashed in two, spilling more blood onto the ground. Kai slipped the card into his graveyard, drew again, and then summoned another from his deck.

"Enjoy it while it lasts, Kai." Bakura threatened. Kai did not respond. He merely drew a card, giving him five in his hand. Setting another card into his magic and trap zone, he ended his turn.

"I activate Silent Death which revives a monster in defense mode and allows it to attack from defense mode." Bakura laughed as small creature with black skin and large black bat wings wrapped around it appeared. "This is my Ouiju Diviner (1300/1500), and he will be the first to attack this turn." Opening its wings slightly, the bat monster opened its mouth and fired off a set of bright rings which shattered Kai's set monster, this time leaving no residue. It was quickly replaced by another horizontal card as Kai added another card to his hand. "Kaien, attack the final one!" Again the womanly monster charged the field and slashed Kai's monster in half, leaving another pool of blood. Turning away in disgust and gaging a little, Kai drew a card and blinked a few times to clear his mind. "Dead Credit Mage, attack!"

As the mage charged another ball of black fire, Kai reached for his Duel Disk to activate one of his set cards, but stopped suddenly, as if a part of him didn't think the time was right. However, his motion did not go unnoticed.

"You wont be stopping this one, Kai." Bakura called, activating the trap he had set two turns before. "Trap Amulet equips to my monster and prevents it from being affected by your traps!" A round pendant with three leave-shaped arms reaching out of it on the sides appeared around the neck of his skeletal magician. The corpse magic user finished its spell, invigorated by the magical totem around its neck, and it fired the ball of black fire at Kai, who could do nothing but stand back as the flames scorched his chest.

The pain was unlike any Kai had ever felt. It didn't burn like a normal fire, but rather it burned the same way a persons nerves do when they get really cold. However, it still had many fire-like effects, such as burning away part of Kai's undershirt and the edges of his over shirt, as well as completely cauterizing the injury he had received earlier in the duel, which was mostly clotted already. Screaming into the air, Kai clenched his eyes because he knew what was coming next. He had received more than one thousand points of damage, meaning the Darkness Game's curriculum had been met.

Kai-3400/Bakura-3600

XXXXXXXXXX

Kai stared down, floating in the sky above the scene before him. He was alone in his house, grasping a picture in his hands. He was about fifteen this time, but appeared even more depressed, shedding tears for the first time in years. It was at that time that the current Kai realized what it was.

It was just a few hours after his parents had been killed.

He looked at the wall, where a clock told him that it was nearly midnight, but his younger self didn't seem to show any signs of fatigue; just unbridled depression. Kai remembered that night well. It had been one of the worst he'd ever had, because it was when he finally realized that he was truly alone in the world. The kids at school would still be just as cruel as ever, and he no longer had his parents to confide in. Up until that moment, he had been full of hope that it was all some sort of twisted nightmare. However, that night the pureness of reality struck him, and he became the cold, angry young man that he'd be fore several years to come.

"If only..." the older Kai muttered, unheard by his memory. "If only I'd met someone then...If only I'd met..." his voice trailed off, unable to think of anyone who could have consolidated him in his time of need. There wasn't anyone. No one was there to make the pain go away. He truly was alone.

Still his younger self sobbed, and a high pitched sound came from the picture in his hands, and it was noticed that he'd been grasping it so tightly that his thumbs were beginning to crack the glass covering.

Although the boy wasn't saying it, Kai knew ever word that was crossing through his mind. Feelings of loneliness, despair, anger, confusion, and thoughts of suicide raced through, leaving him incapable of speaking.

"So alone. So very..." Kai muttered, a single tear escaping each of his eyes as he reviewed his memory. "So much pain. And I'm no different. I'm still just as broken...Just as alone."

He could feel it, the despair. It was creeping up on him now, enveloping him. What was he fighting for? For the world? What had the world ever done for him? Nothing but give him heartache and rage. What did he owe them? Maybe they should get a chance to feel fear and despair.

Darkness began to fill his vision as two more tears escaped his eyes. Yes, what was the point? He didn't owe anyone anything. If he just gave in he'd be back with his family once again, and everyone who had ever sought to hurt him would be sent directly to Hell.

_'That's not true!'_ a voice within him shouted. A spark of light went of in his mind and heart as another memory erupted within his mind. A memory from only a few hours ago.

_"What are you saying, Etsu?" Kai demanded, though his voice was soft. "Are you saying that...I'm weak?"_

_"Exactly!" she continued. "What will your pushing everyone away do for them? What are you giving back to your parents? What will you say to them when your spirit meets them after death? That you wouldn't let yourself find happiness because you chose to hang onto guilt and sorrow? That because you couldn't forgive anyone that you made yourself suffer even more?"_

_"You...You..." Kai was shaken, his eyes wide._

_"You've gone through these hard times by blaming everyone around you! You keep saying that it's because of the people you've encountered that you had no choice but to take this road in your life! But that's not true! I've been watching you Kai. I've understood you better than anyone else. I have never been able to sympathize with the torture you put yourself through, but I can still see the world through your eyes. I understand more than you'll ever know about how you feel! You keep saying that you'll win Battle City and that you'll be able to leave that title as a flower on your parents grave, but that's a lie! That goal is simply your way of rationalizing your own frustrations! It's a crutch for your times of weakness!"_

_"But..." Kai was frozen, memories flooding his mind. Memories of him going out of his way to isolate himself from the world around him. Of his cold and merciless actions as he brutally cut into the hearts of others who would dare approach him with a raised hand of friendship._

_"Think about it! Is this what they wanted for you? They're not to blame for all of the efforts you've taken to make yourself miserable!"_

_"Shut up!" Kai screamed, trembling with anger._

_"You're so quick to deny it...You know I'm right."_

_"I don't want to hear it!" he screamed, grasping his head. _

_"Why?" Etsu asked. "Do you know how much it hit the rest of the village when your parents died? Do you not realize that you weren't the only one who love your family? Is it that hard to believe that other people may have cared about you, and were forced to sit back and watch in horror as you destroyed yourself? Is that what you're running from?"_

_"I-" Etsu didn't wait for him to finish this time, and simply cut him off._

_"You've let yourself be dragged away from reality! You let time stop with your parents heartbeats, but you've got to let it start again! Before it's too late, you have got to wake up!"_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXx

"She right!" he shouted, pulling himself away from both memories. He reoriented himself to the dark arena he was dueling, new strength coursing through his body and a new fire in his eyes. Bakura took a step back in surprise, but quickly regained his composure.

"I'm not going to just sit back, Ouja, and let my past destroy me." Kai declared. "It's in the past, and I can't change it. Not even I can affect the past. What's important is that I use that past to learn and grow stronger. It's time that I wake up and come back to life!"

"Ah, so I see that what the whore said to you earlier has pulled you back. And you're stronger. Yes, I can feel your Guardian powers increasing. They've more than doubled. Well then, I think it's time we both step up our game a little, don't you."

Kai didn't answer. He merely drew a card, giving him seven cards. "I summon a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"Have it your way." Bakura grunted, drawing again. "I sacrifice Ouiju Diviner for Darkred Enchanter (2300/2200) in attack mode!" Bakura's newest monster was one of his more deadly looking ones, wearing shimmering armor that was made up of several slats of metal, each slat ending in a wicked curve. Each hand was clawed, yet instead of flexing those claws as some might expect, they were filled with pulsing red light. "And when Ouiju Diviner is sent to the graveyard, I may discard a number of cards from my deck to my graveyard, and in exchange I will lower the level of one monster in my deck by that amount, and may then set that monster on top of my deck." Taking a card from his deck and slipping it on top, Bakura flashed Kai a devilish grin. "Not that I plan on needing it. Dead Credit Mage, attack his monster!" Kai's monster exploded in a blast of fire. Or, it would have, had there not been a large magician in blue robes with an ivory staff standing in the way, a magical barrier he was generating holding the black flames at bay.

"Steadfast Magician (500/2200) has a few defense points too many for your monster to defeat. Sorry, Bakura, but I'm still in this."

Kai-3400/Bakura-3100

"Perhaps, but there's something else, Kai." Bakura smiled as the purple crystal to his left began to crack. "You just dealt me five hundred points of damage, and so a Kioku will go as well." The crystal shattered into dust, but nothing else happened. "And there goes the last descendant of Seto Kaiba." he laughed, yet much to his surprise, Kai was unfazed by all of this.

"Like you said, you aren't sure what will happen to them." Kai responded, his voice once again calm and collected. "I'll take the chance, and keep hope alive that they'll be alright so long as I win. I can't let myself get distracted. And if they are lost, then I'm willing to make that sacrifice."

"That's what you say." Bakura smirked. "But we shall see how you feel when reality comes around. For now, I'll have Darkred Enchanter destroy your Steadfast Magician!" Craning his neck back, the armored magician began to increase the flow of power to his hands, which he then clapped together, creating a large ball of light that it flung at Kai's monster, evaporating him.

"Now that Steadfast Magician has been destroyed, I get to special summon one level four or lower magician from my hand to the field." Kai explained, slapping a card onto his Duel Disk.

"Kaien, attack!" In another show of blinding speed, the demoness slashed through Kai's monster, revealing a woman in purple clothes with an aquamarine stave in her hand.

"Apprentice Magician will allow me to special summon another low level spellcaster from my deck to the field." Kai explained, placing another card horizontal on his Duel Disk.

"That ends my turn." Bakura growled, clenching his right hand into a rather tight fist.

"I play Gates of Time!" Kai called as the large mystic doorway appeared behind him. "And using it, I'll special summon Time Mage (2400/2500) in attack mode." The first of the original magicians born from Kai's soul appeared, prepared for battle.

"Now I play the magic card, Magicians Era!" The continuous magic card that appeared to Kai's side displayed a city of marble with several people walking about, all of them in the robes of a magician. "This card will generate one magic counter every turn for every magician on my field. I'll also flip over my Apprentice Magician, placing two magic counters on my Time Mage, one for activating my magic card, and other for flipping over my magician." On the head of Time Mage's stave appeared two points of light, displaying the magic counters.

"Next I will sacrifice Apprentice Magician for Chronos-Archmage of Fate (2200/1600)!" The purple garbed woman vanished and was replaced by a man in black robes with a pale staff with stars swimming around in the crystal at the head.

"Now I activate two of my set cards, Shrink and Magical Diffusion!" Instantly two of the three cards in front of Kai flipped up, the first with the image of a Battle Ox shrinking while the second simply displayed five streaks of gold light flying in separate directions into a vast abyss. "Shrink cuts the attack points of one monster on your field in half. Magical Diffusion allows me to discard two cards to spread the effect of a targeting magic card to your entire field!" Slipping two of the three remaining cards from his hand into his graveyard, Kai watched as all three of Bakura's monsters decreased in size to about half of what they were just moments before.

"Chronos, attack and destroy Dead Credit Mage (850/1200)!" Sweeping his staff in front of him, Kai's magician released a crescent wave of energy that sliced the skeletal magician in two, the pieces falling to the ground, joining the litter there.

"Normally I would use Dead Credit Mage's special ability to shuffle it and the cards from my hand into my deck to negate the damage, but I'd rather wait and see." Bakura smirked as his Life Points ticked down.

Kai-3400/Bakura-1750

"Also, since you just dealt over one thousand points of damage, another Kioku must go." As he spoke, the pink crystal cracked and shattered. "Sakura Haeru. What would you tell Kevin if something were to happen to her?" he taunted as Kai bit back his comments.

"That doesn't matter. What does matter is that my Time Mage attacks and destroys Kaien!" Spinning his staff a few times, Kai's second magician released a ball of light which struck the she-demon in the stomach, causing her abdomen to turn to ash, which spread throughout her body until she in her entirety crumbled to dust.

Kai-3400/Bakura-500

"Not bad Kai, but you failed to destroy the final two Kioku, so even if my Life Points hit zero, I wont lose."

"I end my turn there." Kai finished, folding his arms over his chest.

Bakura drew his card, but didn't even look at it. His attention was completely on the monster he had placed in his hand the previous turn.

"Kai, I bet that you think that you've done rather well. You've taken me to a bare minimum of Life Points, and we're even as far as the Darkness Game is concerned. But you must understand, everything I've done up until now was simple fortification."

"What do you mean?"

"Very simple. My every play up until now has been setting up for my real strategy. Now the stage is set. Prepare yourself to face a power that you've never even considered before." At this, Kai raised an eyebrow of intrigue. Bakura, however, didn't notice as he selected the monster he had added to his hand earlier. "Prepare to face the power of the grave itself. And the general who shall lead my legion of the damned is this, my faithful servant for three thousand years!" With renewed strength he slapped the card onto his Duel Disk, and Kai could have sworn the air temperature dropped several degrees.

The monster was about ten feet in length total, with pale grey skin. The upper body was like that of a man-a very well built man- with rippling muscles and sturdy arms. The face was sharp, like a predators, with two thick triangular horns reaching out of the sides like ears, while a third, much thinner horn extended from his forehead, and another small one from his chin. A pair of small white wings extended out of his back as well. However, in place of legs, his torso thinned down to become a long snake body, with the vipers head at the end. It was a truly marvelous and at the same time frightening creature.

"Diabound Carnal (1800/1600)!"

_To Be Continued..._

And there you have it. The beginning to what I hope you find to be an exciting duel, with Bakura, a general favorite, pulling some rather cool moves, not that Kai's moves aren't cool as well.

_Next Time- Kai has chosen to leave is past behind him while at the same time is willing to sacrifice the souls of those whom he's come to known, and in one case love, here at this tournament. But when it comes down to the memory he has worked hardest to hide away, and when he must make the ultimate sacrifice, will he be able to? And what is the power to Diabound Carnal? Considering how much faith Bakura puts in it, what could it do with only 1800 attack points? And what did Bakura mean when he said that Kai now faced the power of the graveyard?_

Next Chapter- Rising Shadows; Blazing Light

Original Cards-

Please not that in this chapter I used a number of cards from the manga _Yu-Gi-Oh R_ or names from the Japanese version, and simply changed the text or gave them effects. There are also a number of cards used by Bakura in the last arc of the Anime. If you are curious about them, let me know in your review and I'll send you a link.

Kai- Guardian of the Archives, Alpha Sorcerer, Voice from the Dust, Archmages Judgement, Time Flux, Immortal Magister, Gates of Time, Steadfast Magician, Time Mage, Magicians Era, Chronos-Archmage of Destiny, Magical Diffusion

Bakura- Devils Avarice, Gathering Shadows, Descent into Darkness, Envoy of Hades-Kaien (Effect Version), Envoy of Hade-Goozu (Effect Version), Silent Death (This version), Ouiju Diviner, Darkred Enchanter (Effect Version)

By Seeker of the Soul-Treasure of Hell, Twilight Renewal

Reviewer Responses-

Demon Fan- Wait...What? I don't mean to be picky or anything, but I can't tell what you just wrote there.

Meowth'sToonDragon (When you actually get to this point)- Is that really all you have to say?

Seeker of the Soul- Indeed, it took me quite a while to come up with this Darkness Game, but I am pleased with how it worked out. And thanks for restoring my kudo stash. After everything I gave you, MatrixFighter, White Mage and Nick, I was kinda low. Again, thanks.

The White Mage- Suspense is killing you? Ok, hurry up and die. I want to see what this looks like. Then I'll sell the video of it on eBay and make a fortune!

SulliMike23- Indeed, his past is a pained one, and now you've seen a bit more of that. But what are the last two memories?

John- Would have been fun to see, but it would have revealed Bakura's deck to everyone before the final duel, and that just wouldn't be cool.

The Helldragon- Bakura did take a while to plan that little move. He had to wait for about twenty years before he could, so of course it was careful planning. As for Nick's cameo, it's because Tenken claims to have sensed something within him.

Noble Paladin- You know, I never did realize how ironic that was. For that, you get a kudo. Oh, and Kai appreciates your support, and he'll definitely need it now.

G.O.T.Nick- Who's to say he's not crazy? Tenken just caught him so off guard that he really couldn't do anything except act normal. And he's not exactly crazy like Taichi, either. And as you can see, Bakura's strategy has once again changed, even though the deck is still as cool as it ever was.


	23. Raising Shadows Blazing Light Part One

Hello all. This chapter was actually finished earlier, but I decided to wait a while, for reasons that I have no desire to share with you guys. Anyway, sadly, this isn't at all what I had originally planned, so I had to divide my initial plan into two parts, hence the small revision to the title. Anyway, this chapter will, for many of you, be a review of the Egyptian Arc. However, I have made a few minor detail changes for the sake of flow, and have also added details about Bakura to further explain things that were no explained in the anime. As such, I encourage all to read it. That's all I have to say, so let us begin.

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Rising Shadows; Blazing Light-Part One**

_"Kai, I bet that you think that you've done rather well. You've taken me to a bare minimum of Life Points, and we're even as far as the Darkness Game is concerned. But you must understand, everything I've done up until now was simple fortification."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Very simple. My every play up until now has been setting up for my real strategy. Now the stage is set. Prepare yourself to face a power that you've never even considered before." At this, Kai raised an eyebrow of intrigue. Bakura, however, didn't notice as he selected the monster he had added to his hand earlier. "Prepare to face the power of the grave itself. And the general who shall lead my legion of the damned is this, my faithful servant for three thousand years!" With renewed strength he slapped the card onto his Duel Disk, and Kai could have sworn the air temperature dropped several degrees._

_The monster was about ten feet in length total, with pale grey skin. The upper body was like that of a man-a very well built man- with rippling muscles and sturdy arms. The face was sharp, like a predators, with two thick triangular horns reaching out of the sides like ears, while a third, much thinner horn extended from his forehead, and another small one from his chin. A pair of small white wings extended out of his back as well. However, in place of legs, his torso thinned down to become a long snake body, with the vipers head at the end. It was a truly marvelous and at the same time frightening creature._

_"Diabound Carnal (1800/1600)!"_

Kai beheld the creature, a dark aura emanating from it. It was powerful...And cold. Despite the fact that it only had eighteen hundred attack points against Kai's Time Mage (2400/2500) and Chronos-Archmage of Destiny (2200/1600), Bakura looked on, full of confidence in his new monster. And between the words Bakua had spoken, and the power he felt radiating off of Diabound, Kai had no doubt that the dark duelists confidence was well founded.

Kai-3400/Bakura-500

"Diabound?" Kai wondered. "It's a high level monster, hence why you used your Ouiju Diviner to lower it's level, but it has so few attack points. What else does it do?"

"Do you really want to know?" Bakura chuckled. "Diabound Carnal is the incarnation of my Ka in the days of old. I assume you know what a Ka is." he jeered at the historian. Kai nodded. He had read some old text translations about Egyptian myths. Ka were the shadow of a person that persisted even after death. It was a shadow of a person, an aspect of their soul that can leave the body while you sleep and exists after your death. It was almost like a personal guardian angel.

Bakura muttered something under his breath, and suddenly the black walls all around them became bright and blue, like the sky. In fact, it was the sky! Kai looked around and realized he and Bakura were standing in the air above a small village surrounded by sand and dunes. The people of the village seemed rather peaceful, calm and simple. Kai turned back to Bakura, who was looking down on the settlement, no discernable emotion seen on his face.

"Three thousand years ago, I lived in a small village called Kuruelna. At this time, Egypt was under siege by a foreign army seeking the Millennium Spellbook, a tome left by the gods by which a mortal could unlock great powers. The brother to the Pharaoh, a Akunadin, had managed to translate the text, and found the secret to making seven mystical items which would give the users the power to halt any force, even that of a demon or a god, in its path. However, something Akunadin did not tell his brother was that forging these items would be costly." As Bakura completed this part of his story, Kai noticed that the sky had turned to night and that there was a cloud of dust rising on the horizon, aimed at Kuruelna Village.

"Akunadin rounded up his soldiers and priests and charged Kuruelna, saying we were a village of thieves and that the gods had declared justice. My people were rounded up like sheep and led into an underground cavern." he continued as Kai watched the cloud become a battalion of soldiers with spears. They surrounded the village and moved in, cutting the people off and forcing them into submission, unable to fight back. There were only a few people, no more than one hundred, Kai guessed. The people were then led to a stairway that went underground, being forced at spear point to descend the staircase.

"I, however, had been on my way to my home when I heard the attack, and hid myself." Bakura explained, a touch of venom in his voice. "I followed the soldiers into the cavern, which turned out to be an overrun occult temple. I sat and watched as Akunadin forced my people to pay the price for the creation of his items-_with their lives!"_

Kai's eyes widened in horror as he watched the people be bound and lowered into a smoldering pot, being smelted with whatever else was in the cauldron. Kai had seen several horrid thing throughout the Darkness Game with Bakura, but this was just inhumane, and he fell to his knees, allowing the vomit and bile to expel itself. Shaking, he raised himself to his feet again as the pot was tipped over and the liquid dropped into a small cavity in the floor. Akunadin completed a chant he had started when the first person was lowered into the basin. There was a rumbling as the ground around the pit began to crack until the cavity was much lager, about seven feet long and three to four feet wide. Then out rose a stone object which fit into the hole perfectly, appearing to be shaped like a sarcophagus. However, printed all over the lithograph were both hieroglyphs and large impressions of varying shapes. Within each of the impressions were seven glimmering golden objects. Kai gasped again as he realized what they were...

"The Millennium Item..." he muttered softly, reaching to his back and pulling out his own Millennium Rod, staring at it with a new look of shock and horror. "They were forged of human flesh and bone and not gold?" Kai asked of the shaft in his hand.

"Yes." Bakura snapped. "And with this dark alchemy came a dark secret that Akunadin had overlooked. But creating these items through such evil means, he had awaken a great evil, known as Zork Necrophidius. However, Zork was instantly sealed away within the Millennium Ring, and Akunadin returned to the palace. With the seven items, Akunadin, the Pharaoh Akunumkanon, and five priests decimated the attacking army." Kai watched as the image of a palace came into his view. A large army was charging, seven figures all that stood in its way. However, each raised an object, shimmering like gold under the sun, and instantly an army of monsters emerged, stopping the attackers in their tracks and annihilating them.

"But I was alone, left to die as a child, taken by the sun and the sand who denied me water and who beat upon my flesh. I sat alone in the now silent streets of Kuruelna, reliving the image of those ninety-nine people who were butchered for such a dark ritual. I had little provisions to survive on. Our people had been preparing to dig a new well because the current one was almost dry. Fortunately, in my young age, I used little, and so what there was lasted me for several months. I ate the snakes of the desert, their flesh the only suitable source of nourishment I had. Akunadin had raided the village food stores and taken the grain back to the capital. The snakes became my source of life, and as I hunted them, I became expert at approaching them in silence and at slaying with brutality." Kai watched as a young boy with copper skin and white hair crept up on a patch of grash, his feet on making a sound in the shifting sand. With a quick lunge he reached into the weed and pulled forth a black and bronze scaled serpent, which he twisted in his hands until there was a sick crack, followed by a pop, and the snake went limp, its neck broken and stomach torn open. The boy wasted no time in devouring the flesh right there and then discarding the waste. He turned back to the village a few hundred yards in the distance, and began the trek back, his hands still red with blood, but he didn't seem to notice, or care for that matter.

"I had learned brutality from the priests of Egypt and the Pharaoh who had commissioned them. My hatred grew strong and my desire for revenge was unparalleled. But I lacked the power to do anything to quell my fury. At least, I thought I lacked that power." Upon making that last note, Bakura's lips twisted up into a cruel smile of anticipation and sick pleasure.

"When the water was depleted, I could do nothing more. I resigned myself to die, and so I ventured into that cavern where I had seen my people massacred, but somehow took a wrong turn and found myself in an empty room. The only thing I could see aside from the walls, floor and ceiling was a massive rectangular stone against the fall wall. Too weak to go back, I approached the tablet and fell to the ground." Kai saw this scene play itself out as well, the young boy wandering into an empty room and collapsing a few feet before a stone tablet

"I don't know how long I was unconscious, but when I next opened my eyes, they widened with surprise. Surrounding me were dozens of ghosts! They did not speak, but they still conveyed their thoughts and desires to me. They were the sacrificed ninety-nine who had been my family. I could feel their lust for revenge, and combined it rivaled my own. But I could not stand. I didn't have the power to take revenge, and I wanted to just die there with my people, but they wouldn't let me. I watched and listened as they circled me, and my mind was filled with their thoughts. 'Kill, pillage, destroy, VENGEANCE!' they said." Kai saw as a multitude of apparitions began to swirl around the fallen boy, the force of their spinning lifting him to his feet. He looked at them, a forlorn look in his eyes. "My heart stopped. Life drained from me, and then, looming beyond the spirits, I saw something; something dark, and powerful. And when my eyes locked with the red flames within his skull, I felt it. A sense of power. A sense of inspiration! I raised to my feet, and I released my anger." Just beyond the wall of white vapor, Kai could make out a dark shape, transparent in form, except for two burning red eyes which glimmered with power.

"I released my rage and my hatred in to its fullest, and I could feel the power growing within me. Life returned to me. I shouted with my unbridled fury. And then my servant appeared." kai observed, eyes wide as the boy screamed into the air and raised his arm, palm open and facing to the ceiling. The swirling spirits sped to his hand and formed a sphere of mist that was bigger than the boy. Turning around, he smashed the ball into the stone tablet, and it shattered, washing over the entire slab.

When the white coat had vanished from the surface, there was now inscribed on the stone an image of a figure with a mans torso, only with horns and small wings on his back and with a snakes body in place of the legs, the serpents head making the tip of this tail. And all around the border of the pictograph was a lithograph of skulls.

"Diabound," Kai realized. "Is born of your hatred."

"Yes." Bakura laugh with a sense of triumph in his voice. "And just like the snakes of the desert, Diabound became my source of life, and through Diabound, I grew strong. Fifteen years later there would be a new Pharaoh. He was young, but he was powerful. At his fingertips was the power of the three gods of Egypt. But I didn't care. My lust for vengeance would overcome anything! So powerful was my rage, in fact, that Diabound defeated all three of the Pharaoh's gods, and each of his priests. I even killed one of them and took his Millennium Ring, the item I was most intrigued in, for it was the item which held my god!" Bakura was growing erratic with a dark glee as

Kai watched Diabound battle with monsters, ripping through them. He saw a stone bridge with a man walking on it, approaching Bakura's still figure at the other end. This seemed like insanity to Kai, who could see a number of massive pendulum blades swinging back and forth, but the man didn't seem to care. His hand was raised and his fingers were pressed against his forehead. One of the blades finally met its mark, and the golden totem around his neck was sent into the air as the pieces of his body fell off of either side of the narrow bridge into the chasm bellow. Bakura caught the ring, and laughed, until the image of a magician appeared, aimed its staff at Diabound, and fired. Diabound appeared at the last instant to protect its master, but in the instant before the attack hit, Kai noticed something.

"Diabound...It's different!"

Indeed, it had changed. Diabound was now larger, his wings now the size that would be appropriate to actually lift him into the air. The ends of its arms no longer resembled hands, but had become reaping claws. Its skin had changed to a different tone of gray and there were a number of markings over him, and it's face had become more feral.

"Yes. My vengeance was no longer pure. Now I wanted power." Bakura explained as another image flew by, and this time Diabound was an acid green and bigger still. His claws had grown as had his fangs. And his wings no longer had that almost angelic appearance, but were now very demonic. Bakura had turned his back on revenge rather quick, it seemed, and his Ka was reflecting that as he gained more power and grew more and more corrupt.

Kai then saw a battle in the dark temple beneath Kuruelna, in the room where the people had been smelted. Bakura himself stood atop the lithograph of the sarcophagus as the Pharaoh and his priests fought back against Diabound, whose power kept growing, and who was protected, Kai realized, but a shield formed of the souls of the massacred villagers. But then Kai also noticed something surprising. The Pharaoh approached Bakura as he laughed with triumph, boldly declaring that he would accept responsibility for his fathers crimes. As the ghosts attacked the noble leader, a light appeared, and Kai could see the image of the previous Pharaoh, his spirit awakened by his sons nobility, and he alone paid the price for his gross crime. With a final command from the young king of Egypt, the same magician who had attacked Diabound at the death of the one priest struck Diabound again, this time destroying him.

"I was nearly destroyed, but with Diabound's help, I had gathered the Seven Items. They could do nothing but watch as I played the flesh of my people back where they came from. By placing them in the lithograph, I had completed my true ambition. I had released Zork Necrophidius!"

The temple began to collapse on its itself, and all present were forced to flee as the ancient Bakura and the sarcophagus rose through a hole in the ceiling. Then the lithograph and the man standing upon it became lost in a sphere of black light, which grew and grew until it's true form was revealed. It was the same figure that Bakura had seen when he created Diabound, only much larger and in corporeal form!

Bakura laughed as Kai watched the massive beast march towards the capital city, crushing their every effort to stop it. Armies of both men and Kas were launched against him, and he crushed each one. Even the three god monsters, Obelisk, Osiris and Ra were defeated by Zork, whose power had grown due to the solar eclipse he had enacted. Finally, with no option left, the Pharaoh shouted a single word into the air: Atem.

Instantly the three corpses of the god monsters sprung to life, and then became bolts of light in the sky, colliding with each other! When the three lights vanished, Kai saw only a sphere of light, a figure hidden within it, but he couldn't make any details out. Zork turned to it, and merely laughed. He taunted the Pharaoh for having such a pathetic Ka, and reached for the light with a single claw, only to have it burn away! The light then began to spread, melting Zork's body away until all that remained was Bakura's body. The Pharaoh approached and removed the Millennium Ring from Bakura's neck, chanting as he did, and Kai noticed a white vapor leave Bakura and enter into the Ring.

"Then, one century ago, I returned." the Bakura to Kai's side explained. "And I nearly succeeded in unleashing Zork, but that bastard Yugi Muto and his friends, along with the reincarnated Pharaoh, fought back and destroyed Zork."

"And that's why you want my Guardian powers." Kai gasped in realization. "You intend to recreate Zork!"

"Exactly!" Bakura chimed. "You see, in reviving Zork, I became part of him. As long as I live, it is possible for Zork to return!"

Kai clenched his fists, realizing that this was much more than he had ever originally considered. This man was Hell-bent on unleashing a god of pure darkness upon the land. Hadn't the world had been ravaged enough? Hadn't there been enough destruction and sacrifice? Enough pain?

"I can't let you do that!" he declared, staring Bakura directly in the eye. "I can't just stand back as innocent people are hurt. I would rather die than see this planet suffer any more. I don't want to see people suffer for the sake of making someone else stronger! It isn't right!"

"Right or wrong isn't real, Kai." Bakura smirked. "If right and wrong did exist, then Kuruelna wouldn't have been sacrificed. No, all that there is in this world is power. Absolute and unconditional power. Power that I will attain after I sacrifice you and take your Millennium Rod, your Guardian powers, your soul, and the energy that keeps you heart beating."

"You can try." Kai said as once again the aura of blue light surrounded him. "However, I refuse to give in."

"After three thousand years of dealing with people like you, I've come to expect such words and futile attempts." Bakura shrugged. "Don't you get it? A god of pure light couldn't destroy me, so what makes you think you can."

It was true. Bakura had proven that even after several crushing defeats and several thousand years, he still had just as much determination as he had when he started on his little crusade. Kai, on the other hand, only had Tenken's word that there was something coming and that he would be critical in those events. So what else did he have to back up his claims?

"Now, back to the duel." Bakura decided, the area around them returning to the black fog and the monsters returning to the field. "Since I now have Diabound at the ready, I need to prepare for his assault. To do that, I play my face down card called Hand Corruption to force us both to discard our hands and t hen draw new hands of the same number from the bottoms of our decks." Both players did so, Kai drawing two cards and Bakura drawing five. "And now the stage is set."

"What for?" Kai asked, looking up from his two new cards.

"For the beginning of my assault." Bakura said with a small shrug, choosing a card from his hand. "First, I play Afterimage of Ghost, equipping this card to Diabound to make a Dark Soul Token that will adopt Diabound's stats, as well as his effect." he laughed as a third monster appeared on his field, identical in every way to Diabound Carnal (1800/1600). "And now it is time to show you Diabound's power." he grinned. "Dark Soul Token, posses Chronos! Diabound Carnal posses Time Mage!" The two demons leapt into the air, directly at Kai's monsters. The bi-eyed duelist watched, curious of what was happening, partially to learn what Diabound did, but mostly because he didn't have any method of stopping it.

The monsters both became wisps of vapor at the last second, passing through Kai's monsters. No, no through them; _into_ them! Kai watched, puzzled by this move. Then he glanced at his Duel Disk, the Life Points reader having taken a second to display his monsters attack strengths, and to his horror both monsters had lost nearly all of their attack points! (Time Mage-600) (Chronos-400)

"I see, so Diabound Carnal equips to my monsters and then lowers their attack points by his attack total." Kai observed, impressed by the power of the card.

"Yes, exactly." Bakura confirmed. "Now, Darkred Enchanter, attack!" Raising a clawed hand, the demonic magician began to charge energy, pointing at both of Kai's monsters. "And my Darkred Enchanter can attack all enemy monsters on the field each turn."

"I can't allow that." Kai said, pressing a button on his Duel Disk. "Go trap card, Test of Time! Since it has been on the field for two turns, it has two Time Counters placed on it. I may then sacrifice Time Counters from it on the activated turn, and for every two I remove I can destroy one of your cards." Kai explained as his trap flipped face up. Seconds later, Bakura's monster exploded and Kai's card had faced away.

"Very well, a minor set back." Bakura admitted, selecting two cards in his hand. "I set two cards face down and end my turn."

"Then I'll draw and play my Magical Interest card to discard my hand and draw twice the number of cards I discarded, but can only be activated if I have four or fewer cards in my hand." Kai declared, drawing four cards. "And now, between my Magicians Era card and play my Magical Interest card, Time Mage has enough magic counters to destroy one of your set cards." Raising his staff, the weakened mage began to prepare his attack, aiming for Bakura's left set card.

"I activate that card." Bakura declared as the card flipped up. "Bloodlust causes two monster with demon monster equipped to them to go mad with the darkness and they'll attack each other, but no battle damage will be dealt!"

To Kai's dissapointment, his two monsters turned their attention on each other and aimed their staves at one another and both fired their own magical attack at the same time, destroying one another.

"You've wasted your card, Bakura." Kai said as a card pushed itself from his deck. "When Chronos is destroyed, he summon Tempus-Archmage of Fate (2200/1600) in attack mode. Your monsters are gone, and I have a new monster at full power, set to go." Kai smiled with relief. With his next direct attack, he'd drop Bakura to zero Life Points and destroy another Kioku, leaving only one to go.

"Think so?" Bakura laughed, and to Kai's shock, both Diabound and the Dark Soul Token had returned to Bakura's field, set for battle. "When the monster that Diabound is equipped to is destroyed, he returns to my field."

"Be as that may, I'll still wipe them out. Tempus, attack and destroy Diabound Carnal, and with it will go the Afterimage of Ghost equipment card!"

"Foolish Kai." Bakura reprimanded as his other card flipped up. "Ghost Shield allows me to remove one demon or undead monster from my graveyard to negate an attack." Bakura said, reaching to his graveyard and picking the ejected card. Instantly a translucent field appeared between Kai's attack and Bakura's monster, halting the magical wave effectively. As Kai watched, all that he could think about was how much it looked like the vision he had been shown and how the spirits of Kuruelna Village had protected Diabound. To further Kai's despair, he noticed that the image for the Ghost Shield trap card had the insignia for being a permanent trap card, meaning it would persist. And with the number of cards Bakura had discarded, it would be a while. Looking at his last few cards, he made a simple move.

"I set one monster in defense mode and one magic or trap card face down. End turn."

"Then I shall have the Dark Soul Token posses Tempus-Archmage of Fate and attack with Diabound Carnal!" Bakura commanded as the copy of his prized card became transparent and lunged into Kai's monster, lowering its attack points. (Tempus-400) Diabound himself then held his hands close to his chest, palms facing each other but the width of his chest apart. Instantly light swirled into the space between his hands, becoming a ball of what looked like golden flames, but not flames the way a person would normally see them, as if a combination of fire and some other type of energy. "Death Spiral!" Extending his arms, Diabound unleashed the attack which became a spinning stream of the light. Kai's monster was instantly incinerated, his ashes falling to the ground before him.

"Go face down card!" Kai shouted as his quick-play magic card activated. "Eternal Witness has two effects, and when activated like this, it makes the battle damage I take this turn zero." Sighing in relief, Kai glanced at his lone defending monster while Bakura growled in frustration.

Kai-3400/Bakura-500

"I set one card face down, and end my turn." Bakura growled, passing his turn.

Drawing a fourth card, Kai stared in annoyance at the fact that it wasn't a very effective card for his situation, but still he set it down, and hoped for the best. With a nod, he passed control back to the Tomb Robber.

"How fortunate, Kai, that Diabound cannot affect face down monsters." Bakura noted as he drew his card and glared at Kai's monster. "But who is it fortunate for? On the one hand, I can't weaken your monster. On the other, I get to attack twice this turn. Go Diabound and Dark Soul Token, attack his set monster; Death Spiral!" Both monsters raised their palms, Kai unsure as to which was which, and blew apart his face down Chronos Alchemist, and then a second stream struck him in the chest. Unlike the Dead Credit Mage, this flame was very scolding, burning away more of his shirts and rendering some the shin on his chest red and raw. Gasping in pain, Kai watched his Life Point counter.

Kai-1600/Bakura-500

"Do you see it now, Kai? Now that Diabound is on my field, I am untouchable. Behold the powers of my dark heart and soul." he laughed, and all Kai could do was stare in horror at the monster that had time and time again tried to destroy humanity. He then hung his head, realizing how hopeless an effort it was.

_To Be Continued..._

And there it is. To those for whom this was just a repeat of the Egyptian Arc, I apologize, but I felt it was necessary for both the readers who haven't seen/read that arc in order to understand, but also for the characters as well. However, I feel that my exploration of Bakura was good, so it all balances out in the end. And I promise, next chapter will more than make up for it, with 37.5 turns of dueling, followed by the conclusion of this Darkness Game.

_Next Time- Kai, now aware of what he is facing, must battle both his memories and a three thousand year old force in order to prevent the resurrection of the darkest force mankind has ever faced. But when his opponent is one who can act so mercilessly, and with his two most guarded memories at his minds door, can Kai hope to overcome it all?_

_Next Time- Raising Shadows; Blazing Light Part Two_

Original Cards-

Kai- Time Mage, Chronos-Archmage of Destiny, Tempus-Archmage of Fate, Eternal Witness

Bakura-Darkred Enchanter (Effect Version), Hand Corruption, Bloodlust

Review Responses-

MatrixFighter- To see that match, you'll just have to wait.

Blue-Eyes White Knight- Kai's been giving it his all, but with all this new power that he's never experienced before, it'll still be a tough fight, that it will.

DragonMaster- You, my ill-cultured and uncivilized friend, need to get an education and to learn to bridle your passions. Personally, I don't mind if you have a vendetta against Kai, or against me, really. However, what you have said is uncouth and ill-founded. Allow me to outline what I mean: A) Kai is a significantly superior duelist to Kevin. It was even mentioned earlier that if Kai had wanted to, he could have wiped Kevin out in their first duel, but he held back. So to say that Kai is a poor excuse for a duelist is to say that my baby sisters could crush Kevin. B) Kai's power is such now that there are very few duelists that could hope to match him. C) What you said is purely biased because of the fact that I had Kevin lose. I don't care how much of a hatred you have for me or how much you love dragons, you cannot insult Kai's abilities. D) You haven't even written anything yourself, and therefore cannot judge my work. In fact, I can't think of anyone aside from you who would say that BEWK's story is better than mine either. Overall, what I'm saying is that you need to shut the hell up until you can come up with a simple, logical and realistic proof to back yourself up when you insult my work. I may not like another persons character, but I don't go so cut-throat about it. Just ask Seeker of the Soul. I had a serious grudge against his main character, but I never all out attacked said character. If you would like to further debate this, I suggest you give me your email and/or screen name and come face me about it there.

G.O.T.Nick- What's wrong with Diabound? He's perhaps my favorite demon monster out there. And wait until you see what I have planned for him. If you think Bakura's deck thus far has been cool, just wait and see. (Devilish laughter)

John- Yeah...You keep thinking that.

The White Mage- You'll see what I have in store for Diabound. I only regret that my ideas for a pure, all-out Diabound deck didn't come till I had already scripted the 41 turn section that makes up this chapter and the next, and I just don't want to go back and have to rescript it, as I'm quite proud of what I have planned, and never want to repeat that nightmare. But fear not, extra Diabound support is underway.

The Helldragon- If you want a Kudo, you have to do something as awesome as what those who have thus far earned kudo's have done.

WolfGeneral- Indeed, the Dark Realm cards kinda jumped out at me as I was desperately searching for demon monsters.

Seeker of the Soul- Spiffy compliments are always appreciated. For that, feel free to use my cards.

SulliMike23- Indeed, I do hold all the answers! For that, I think I'll give myself a kudo. (Further devilish laughter)

See ya.


	24. Rising Shadow Blazing Light Pt Two

Here we go. This is the major section of the final duel of the story, so let's get it on!

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Rising Shadows; Blazing Light Part Two**

Kai glared at Bakura who now controlled the field with his Diabound Carnal and the Dark Soul Token that had copied the demon. Kai, on the other hand, was out monsters on the field and only had one magic or trap card set, along with just three cards in his hand.

Kai-1600/Bakura-500

"Well Kai, I set one card face, and end my turn." Bakura smiled at Kai, who was still shaking with rage over the fall of his monsters to the silver skinned demon. Pulling a card from his deck, Kai continued to plan.

"I summon Sorcerer of Ages (1900/1100) in attack mode." A man in close fitting silver garments appeared, various symbols printed on his clothes. "Sorcerer of Ages, attack Diabound Carnal!" Raising his wand, the mage began to chant, preparing his attack.

"Useless." Bakura muttered as he snapped his fingers and another card ejected from his graveyard. Again the nearly invisible barrier appeared around Bakura's monsters, protecting them from the coming magic attack.

"Perhaps I couldn't kill Diabound this turn, but I could hurt your defense." Kai explained, choosing another card in his hand. "That's one less monster to fuel your shield. In the end, I'll either wear it down or I'll destroy it. Either is fine with me. For now, I play Mystic Moon Dial, speeding time ahead by three and allowing us both to draw two cards." Both did as directed, giving both a hand of four.

"Now that three turns have passed, Magicians Era has generated three magic counters to my Sorcerer of Ages, who also gains another one because I played a magic cards. Now I'll sacrifice three of those four to summon one Eternity Token (500/200) to my field." Kai finished, slipping one more card face down onto his field.

Drawing again, Bakura glanced at Kai's three face down cards with interest. "Let's see what you have, Kai." he laughed. "Dark Soul Token, possess Sorcerer of Ages and weaken its attack power!" Again becoming a wisp of spirit, Bakura's faithful ka entered into Kai's monster, who suddenly seemed very depressed and shadowed in color as its attack points dropped. (Sorcerer of Ages-100/1100) "Diabound Carnal, attack! Death Spiral!" Again forming a ball of the ethereal flames, Diabound fired a column of light aimed at Kai's monster.

"Go face down card, Dark Magic Revival!" Kai responded as an ark appeared before him, the lid sliding off and a magic card extending out. "I'll use it to reactivate my Shrink card, cutting Diabound's attack down to nine hundred for the turn!" Instantly Diabound began to shrink until he was roughly half his normal size. However, despite the change in his strength, Diabound continued the attack, shattering Kai's monster.

Kai-900/Bakura-500

"How annoying." Bakura growled lightly. "End turn."

"I summon Envoy of the Archives (1800/1900) in attack mode, who will place one random magic counter from my deck into my hand." Kai explained as a card pushed itself free from his deck. Gripping the card between his thumb and forefinger, Kai offered a silent prayer. _'Anything that can destroy his Ghost Shield or let me get rid of Diabound. Please!'_

Whipping the card into his view, Kai grimaced in disappointment to find that the card he had been given wouldn't be able to do what he had hoped. Sighing, he set the card face down, then turned to his monster.

"Envoy of the Archives, attack Diabound Carnal!" he ordered. Again Bakura reached down to his Duel Disk as it ejected another one of his demonic monsters, producing the paranormal barrier to halt Kai's attack.

"You're really getting desperate, aren't you Kai." Bakura smirked. "To risk leaving your field open to a direct attack, just to try and get rid of Diabound. How sad. It only proves your lack of focus and hope."

"Wrong." Kai called back, breathing deeply. "There's no risk to great to go after Diabound, because if the general falls, the army collapses!" Kai paraphrased the common strategic proverb.

"Try as you might," Bakura continued, drawing a card and setting it face down, along with a second from his hand. "You can't overcome the darkness. Darkness if ever present! And it consumes all in its path! Watch. Dark Soul Token, posses his Envoy of the Archives!" Kai's monsters features began to droop from their hard glare as Bakura's demon possessed it, dropping it to zero attack points. "Death Spiral!"

"Activate Soul Spell!" Kai shouted as his magician disappeared, and seconds later reappeared, but this time crouching with his staff held in front of himself defensively. "This card allowed me to return my monster to my hand and then re-summon it in defense mode! That means that your Dark Soul Token is gone, that he's back at full strength, and that I get to place another random magic card into my hand." Kai called, snatching the card his deck ejected with renewed energy. His Envoy of the Archives had one hundred defense points more than Diabound's attack points, and as much as he wanted to abuse that, Kai realized he needed to take a different course of action. Pressing another button on his Duel Disk, the card he had set two turns before flipped up. "Magicians Ordination ends your turn and allows me to draw again." he said, drawing again. Then he drew once more to start his turn.

"I play Pot of Greed!" he called, drawing two cards more. "I sacrifice my Eternity Token, who allows me to draw one card when removed from the field, and then I'll summon Disintao-Elder Mage (2300/1700) in attack mode." The elderly mage in purple robes and the stern face appeared, brandishing his staff. "And now it's time to destroy your Ghost Shield, as well as anything else you had planned!" Snatching two cards from his hand, he forcefully shoved them into his graveyard. "Disintao, destroy his magic and trap cards!"Chanting in some lost tongue, Disintao's staff began to glow with a golden light. Raising the staff into the air, the elderly magician smashed the tip against the ground, golden flames washing over Bakura's field and burning away his three set cards, along with his active Ghost Shield.

"I activate one of my face down card, Invulnerable Shadow!" Bakura shouted as his cards exploded, but three black orbs shot from the flames, circling above Diabound's head like a black halo of sorts. "This places three Shadow Counters on Diabound and will take any blow you aim at him in his place." Biting back his frustration, Kai made his next maneuver.

"I set one card face down. Envoy of the Archives, attack Diabound Carnal!" Raising his staff like a spear, Kai's monster charged, lighting the tip of his staff with energy. With a quick thrust, he impaled Diabound, who merely looked down at the mage before raising his hand and charging more of the ethereal flames into his palm, which he swung down, bursting the demonic flame on Kai's monster, who pulled away in pain until his ashes fell to the ground. Diabound then looked again at the hole in his chest, and one of the dark spheres left the circle above his head and entered into the wound, becoming part of Diabound and regenerating the flesh. "Disintao, attack!" Again smashing his staff against the ground, the older magician released a wave of light at Diabound, who glared at the coming attack with an utmost loathing for its purity.

"Kai, did you think I would prepare a deck that wasn't ready for your magic and trap removal tactics?" Bakura laughed, again reaching for his graveyard. "Activate grave trap, Betrayal of the Dark Heart, which will search out the darkness within Disintao and turn his attack directly upon you!" Kai's eyes widened in horror as Disintao's attack faded away. The mage then turned to face him, his normally silver eyes now a cold black. Muttering again in his own language, Disintao aimed his staff at Kai, striking the boy with a different wave of light, this one black and corrupt. When it struck, Kai felt as though hundred of ice cold needles were being raked over his skin.

Kai-0/Bakura-500

"You see Kai, even the purest sage who has devoted his entire life to serving the light has a dark heart and has betrayed you. And now," he paused for dramatic effect. "You've been dealt two thousand points of damage. That means another Hari breaks, and another memory plays." he laughed maniacally as Kai's eyes glazed over, trying to brace himself for the coming memory, but he had no way of knowing just which one it would be...

XXXXXXXXXXX

_Thirteen year old Kai Kaethan set in the grass of the valley where his village was set up. It was a pleasant day, warm, breezy, but with a fine layer of gray clouds blocking out extra heat and glare. Yet despite the pleasant conditions, Kai bore a very serious, almost pained expression. His knees were up and he was resting his chin on them, looking at the group of boys approaching. Sighing, Kai opted to close his eyes and forgetting about them, hoping that they wouldn't feel instigated if he wasn't even looking at them._

_Sadly, this tactic never worked._

_"Hey boys," one of the teenagers called to his comrades in fake surprise. 'It's Kai. The kid who always beats us on tests and who all the teachers love. What a surprise to see him, and what an honor."_

_"Hey Kai, did Ms. Yukatiri give you a silver studded dog collar with a name tag with her own personal nickname for you?" Another jibed._

_"Yeah, how long before you get promoted so you can get down her skirt?"_

_"Give an answer Spot! If you don't answer correctly in three seconds you'll have to lick the principles shoes clean."_

_"We've got a soccer ball, Kai. Do you know about soccer? I know you can tell me the rules and all that crap, but can you actually play it, can you. I don't think you've ever even touched one."_

_"Let me see that." one of them seized the ball. "I'll show you guys a special variation of the game." He raised the ball above his head before smashing it down on Kai's head, the force knocking the boy forward onto his face. The ball bounced away a bit, and another boy kicked it, nailing Kai in the ribs. _

_Coughing, Kai rolled over and tried to pull himself to his feet. However, he didn't get the chance because another boy had kicked the ball, this one getting him hard in the side of his knee, pressing it inward, nearly snapping. Kai let out a gasp of pain as this happened and collapsed, no longer able to support his weight._

_"Stop." he gasped, barely audible to the boys. "Please, no more. I've had enough."_

_"I don't think so, Kai." their apparent leader smirked. "Because we're sick and tired of getting showed up by you. And even if we weren't, it's just too much fun to do this." he laughed, and was joined by the other boys._

_'I want them to stop.' Kai called in his mind. 'I want it to go away! I don't want to be alone anymore! I want them to stop, and to never hurt anybody ever again!' But no one could hear the please for help in his mind. No one but Kai alone could know what he wished._

_And then he felt it. _

_He felt it. A sudden explosion from within himself. Light filled his mind for a second. Strength came to his limbs. The pain vanished!_

_Rising to his feet, Kai could feel strength coursing through him. It was incredible! He was suddenly a new person. All around himself, Kai could see a light, shaded slightly blue, pulsing with his heartbeat. He even noticed that a lock of hair had fallen in front of his face and was now a platinum blonde color rather than his usual black. _

_"What the crap?" one of the boys asked in shock._

_"What's going on?" another shouted. Other boys were backing away from the lone figure, who stood in the midst of them, his posture making him appear rather oblivious to why they were so afraid. Some of the boys began to run, while others simply stood frozen with surprise and cursing foully._

_"You cannot escape." the figure seethed, turning to the boys who had turned their backs to him. They instantly froze, as if struck by some unseen force, which, in reality, had happened._

_"What the...?" one asked, swearing profusely. "I can't move!"_

_"Your body is locked in time." the blonde figure declared, using Kai Kaethan's voice, only lowered, slightly more mature. "You cannot escape justice. You will not taunt me anymore. I have dealt with your childishness long enough. Now it is my turn to return the suffering...ten fold. Do you feel the fear? It's time for you to learn that in the end, time catches up to you."_ _The blue fire around his body began to intensify, and then Kai knew nothing more._

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kai fell to his knees, fear clutching at his soul. "That was the day I..." he trailed off, not wanting to admit it. "The say I..."

"The day you nearly killed." Bakura smiled. "How lovely. Like I said, if you search far enough, you find darkness even in the seemingly most pure and innocent heart. Would you like to know the extent of corruption?" Bakura chuckled. Kai continued to stare blankly ahead, the memory replaying itself, confusion continuing to wrack his mind.

"Etsu Akira, for one, appears to be most pure, and yet she is full of lust and selfishness. She came here to Battle City with the sole desire of facing you, hoping to impress you enough to win your heart. She lusted after your body and desired to make you hers alone." he taunted. "Or Sakura Haeru, a weak little child, deceiving the entire world with her happy face. She's in fact full of childish bitterness for the world and the cruelties therein that are outside of her control. She is full of fear and allows it to control her." Still Kai had nothing to say. "The Darkness Realm reveals all to me, Kai. Truth cannot be hidden. You appear calm and decisive on the surface, but deep down, you're scared and gentle. You don't deserve your powers, and you couldn't use them correctly even if you wanted to because of how scared you are of hurting others."

_'Why is it that no matter where I go, I'm forced to live this cycle, to dance this dance with others?'_ Kai asked himself. _'Why am I trapped?'_

_"You aren't."_ a spectral voice echoed through his mind. _"How many times do I have to say it, Kai?"_ the voice continued. _"You're not alone Kai. You've just spent so much time convincing yourself that you are that now you're caught between reality and the false world you built up in your mind. You have got to let go. You have got to wake up!"_

_'But how can I? How can I break from what I've always believed? How can I do it, Etsu?'_ he asked, this time calling the voice by name.

_"Have faith."_

Nodding, Kai began to rise. "Have faith." he repeated to himself. Bakura, on the other hand, merely raised an eyebrow of amusement concerning Kai's display.

"Well, this is interesting. You may actually be the first to see this game through to the end. How does that make you feel?" he asked without an ounce of sincerity. Kai merely stood in his place, his entire body hanging rather rag where it was, his head bent over.

"I haven't enjoyed this. I haven't been able to cry for years, and now I wish I could. But perhaps it's for the best. Perhaps destiny allowed me to experience all of the pain and suffering so that I would be strong enough now to face you. Maybe my life hasn't had any meaning until now, when I could duel you. But," at this he raised his head. "This life is no longer only mine to live. I have someone who's waiting for me to return, and I just can't give up now. I'm not ready to face my maker, Bakura, nor am I ready to face my parents." His fires began to fill with life and light. "But I am ready to send you to Hell."

Bakura's face became a sharp scowl in response to this, his eyes narrowing. "You're enjoying this, aren't you? You're so pathetic that you revel in suffering, don't you? Fine. Suffer and die!" Bakura shouted, drawing a card. "I remove Army God of the Dark Realm, Military God of the Dark Realm, and Advance Guard of the Dark Realm from my graveyard from play to special summon my Dark Necrofear (2200/2800)." A feminine figure with electric blue skin was Bakura's newest monster, with black and silver armor and cradling a cracked baby skull in her arms. "Diabound, posses Disintao-Elder Mage!"

Diabound charged Kai's monster, becoming a spirit of his normal body, striking into the heart of the mage, who actually appeared to be grieving for having attacked his master with the brutality he had. In fact, there seemed to be little change to his mourning continence as he was overtaken by Diabound's powers and his attack points dropped (500/1700).

"Dark Necrofear, attack!" Widening her soulless eyes, the demoness released two crimsom beams of necromantic powers that seared Kai's monster away. "Fortunately for you, I couldn't do the needed damage to destroy the final Hari. Set two cards face down and end."

Before drawing a card, Kai pressed a button on his Duel Disk and his face down card flipped up. "First off, I chain Disintao's death with my Tempus Reversa trap card to revive Disintao and also to place a monster from my graveyard into my deck." As Kai spoke the purple robed mage reappeared, seeming to be somewhat rejuvenated by the rebirth. At the same time, Kai reached down to his graveyard and caught the card that was released. "Also, when I last used Disintao's effect, I discarded Repayment of Losses, so I drew a card last turn. Now, since I still have my Gates of Time on the field, I can special summon my Time Mage (2400/2500) that I just retrieved with my Tempus Reversa."

Bakura watched with both annoyance and fear as Kai's first soul monster appeared, twiling his staff around with a pleasant flourish. It was if the very presence of this monster gave Kai strength.

"Time to finish Diabound's defenses off!" Kai called. "Disintao, attack Diabound Carnal!" Charging energy to the tip of his staff, Disintao aimed at Diabound and fired a beam of white light that aimed to spear though Diabound's chest. However, another of the black orbs launched from above Diabound and intercepted the attack, taking the brunt of the attack. "Time Mage, attack!" Firing a ball of magic at the demon, the final sphere of dark magic left its position circling the center horn and formed a shield in front of Diabound, negating the attack. "That ends my turn."

"Begin praying Kai, to whatever deity you may have ever considered worshiping that I don;t draw my ultimate monster, because once I do, my wrath with be swift and unparalleled."

"No doubt." Kai countered. "But I'll face it anyway. Isn't it interesting, Bakura, that because of your own twisted rules that I'm still in this. If you hadn't initiated these rules, I would have lost, but because I still have a Hari, I'm still in this."

Bakura's anger merely grew as Kai made this point. He had made a serious miscalculation. He had hoped that by using the Hari and the Kioku he'd be able to break Kai more easily, but instead it was becoming harder.

"Diabound, possess Time Mage so that Dark Necrofear can destroy it!" Kai's monster quickly dropped to the low score of four hundred attack points while Dark Necrofear fired another set of crimson beams that burned away his monsters flesh. However, because he no longer had Life Points to protect, so long as the damage he would take was less than four thousand, he was safe. "I'll set two cards face down, ending my turn."

The two cards appeared as declared and Kai eyed them nervously. Thus far, Bakura had managed to either protect his cards from Kai, or he had used Kai to move them into a position where they could serve a greater purpose. However, if he didn't destroy them, Bakura would have a greater advantage later on. Then again, Bakura knew about Disintao's effect and he had gone after Time Mage instead of Disintao.

"I summon Guardian of Time thanks to my Gates of Time magic card." Kai began his turn, the blue robed magician appearing once again. "Next," grabbing two of the three cards that remained in his hand, he made his decision. "I discard two non-monsters from my hand to activate Disintao's special ability once again!" As he shoved the two cards into his graveyard, Kai watched both Disintao as his released the wave of golden light that burned the cards away, and also Bakura, who began to smirk once again, and he realized that he'd been correct in his guess.

"Go Horde of the Night and Repressed Memory of Suffering!" Bakura called. "These two cards can only be activated when sent to the graveyard, but both are rather effective. First off, my Horde of the Night will special summon two of your monsters from your graveyard to my field and make them undead creatures, and also it will lower their attack points by five hundred. So, I'll take your Tempus-Archmage of Fate and Chronos-Archmage of Destiny (1700/1600x2) both to my field." The two named monsters both emerged from the ground on Bakura's field, their robes now colored brown with dirt and their skin corroded by bacteria.

"Next, Repressed Memory of Suffering will select two monsters on your field and they cannot attack, change their battle positions, or be sacrificed. They're incapacitated by haunting memories, just as you are, Kai. Ironic, ne?" Bakura laughed as Kai's two monsters both collapsed to their knees in pain, clutching their heads and silently screaming.

"That's fine." Kai breathed, setting his final card face down. "I've overcome my memories, so let's see if my monsters cannot inherit my strength."

"Yes, we shall see. Here in the Darkness Realm, your monsters do acquire part of your personality, so I suppose we'll see the proof soon, wont we, that you can't carry the weight you've taken upon yourself."

"Only time will tell, Bakura." Kai responded, his tone even and threatening.

"I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your face down card." Bakura began his turn, a cyclone of wind drilling through Kai's set card, which exploded. "Now you're defenseless! Diabound, possess his Guardian of Time!"

"Go trap card!" Kai shouted as the card Bakura had just destroyed ejected from his Duel Disk. "Millennial Curse destroys all monsters on the field when activated!" he called as both players monsters began to explode. "And that includes Diabound!"

"No!" Bakura gasped. He had been used by Kai the same way he had been using Kai up until then.

"Destroy the general, and the army will fall." Kai repeated the proverb as their field cleared.

"You may have destroyed Diabound for now, but just as in the days of old, he will return. And not only that, but when the monsters revived by Horde of the Night are destroyed, Horde of the Night returns to my hand from the graveyard." Bakura laughed, adding the named card to his hand, the only one therein.

Drawing a card, Kai began his turn. "If you think you can use Dark Necrofear against me, you're wrong, Bakura. Before meeting Kevin, I faced someone else who also used Dark Necrofear, and I learned quite well then how to deal with it. So first I'll play Card of Sanctity, allowing me to draw six cards while you get five." Both duelists drew their new hands of cards and surveyed their new options.

"I'll set four cards face down and play Hand Rebirth!" Kai shouted as both players ditched their remaining cards and drew new hands of five. "And that takes care of Horde of the Night." Kai breathed with a bit of relief. "I end my turn there. And since I've have no more monsters on my field, Dark Necrofear can't possess one, and so her effect is now worthless."

"That may be," Bakura snarled, drawing again. "But it's time I started to take control of the field back. Go Ouiju Sanctuary!" Bakura sneered as a gothic temple appeared behind him, complete with gargoyles and pitch black spires. "This continuous magic card has a useful effect, in that I may now remove demons from my graveyard to summon other demons in place of field sacrifices." he explained. "Now I will remove Evnoy of Hades-Gozu and Envoy of Hades-Kaien to summon my Thanatos-Envoy of Death (2500/1500)."

Another decaying figure appeared on Bakura's field, this one in ragged black robes and wielding a scythe which had a blade on either side, looking rather menacing. His steed look no less frightening, black as ebony with dark leather straps holding it at the riders command and black iron armor weighing heavily on it's body.

"Now, since you have no monsters, and since you've managed to irritate me all duel long, I think I'll have Thanatos attack and draw a bit more blood from you." Bakura chuckled as the black rider charged Kai's field.

"Go, River of Time!" Kai shouted as he slipped one of his cards into his graveyard. "This card allows me to negate one instance of direct damage and destroy one card on your field." he explained as Thanatos was overrun by a surge of water that had appeared out of no where. Except, it wasn't water, it was something else, similar to liquid, but an entirely different form of matter unto itself.

Clenching his fists and trembling with rage, Bakura looked at the five cards in his hand and ended his turn, glaring daggers through Kai's body as the young man drew.

"I set one monster in defense mode and end my turn." Kai said, taking his short and simple turn, again glancing at his face down cards.

"Your defenses are about to shatter!" Bakura laughed as he looked at his drawn card. "Go Dark Energy Storm, removing one demon monster in my graveyard from play to destroy all of your magic and trap cards!" As a card clicked out of his Duel Disk, Bakura watched with satisfaction as a rain of black and crimson lightning bolts showered Kai's field, obliterating his four set cards.

"Now I summon Wraith-Proprietor of Souls (2100/2200) in attack mode and attack your set monster!" Bakura shouted as another figure in a black cloak appeared, this one wielding a jagged and evil looking sword. Raising his sword, the monster complied, slashing through Kai's set card, leaving another bloody mess on the ground.

"Mystical Historian allows me to take cards in my graveyard and place them in my deck equal to the level of the monster that destroyed him, so I get six magic cards back." Kai explained, taking the cards and shuffling them back into his deck. Glancing at Bakura, Kai took his cue to start his turn, and drew a card.

"I play Treasure of the Guardian Goddess to discard my five cards and then draw two more, plus I get to draw two more each turn.' Kai explained as he payed the cost and then drew the new cards. "I set one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"You're rather confident, Kai. However, I hold the advantage, both in Life Points, on the field, and concerning the fact that I currently have two Kioku while you only have one Hari left." Bakura teased while drawing a card.

"Just go." Kai growled, trying to hide his doubt. Shaking his head and blinking, he continued to breath deeply while adrenaline coursed through his body. _'I have to believe. I have to remove all doubt. I have to have faith that Etsu and the others are on my side. I don't want to hurt them unless they are willing to make the sacrifice. I have to believe that they are!'_

"I summon Eros-Ensign of Impurity (1600/1400) in attack mode." A female in a long, form-fitting skirt and what could hardly be described as a bra appeared. Kai recoiled in disgustat her immodest appearance, and was further annoyed when she began to dance in a rather provocative manner. Kai realized that she was a succubus, a demoness of ill morals.

"Next I will remove a demon from my graveyard to special summon my Soul Reaper (1800/1900) in attack mode." Another monster in a black cloak appeared, this one wielding a single scythe in his skeletal hands, looking the most of all Bakura's monsters like the Grim Reaper himself. "And when Soul Reaper is summoned, he summons one Avatar Token (1900/500) to the field." Next to the embodiment of death appeared a smaller version of itself.

"Now I activate one of Wraith's special abilities to remove a demon monster from my graveyard to place Ouiju counters on my monsters equal to the level of the removed monster, and the raise each monsters attack by two hundred for every counter. So I remove a Death Caliber Knight from my graveyard to place ones Ouiju counter on each of my monsters." (Wraith-2300)(Eros-1800)(Soul Reaper-2000)(Avatar Token-2100) "Wraith, attack his face down monster!" Rasing the sword of wickedness above his head, the denizen of darkness slashed down, leaving another pile of gore in on the now very red floor.

"Immortal Magister has returned and allows me to summon another Immortal Magister from my deck while also drawing a card." Kai explained as another horizontal card appeared between him and Bakura and as his hand grew to two cards.

"Fine!" Bakura shouted, looking at his other monsters. "Eros, Soul Reaper, destroy the last two!" he commanded. First Eros danced across the field in a seductive manner while Kai's crouching magician appeared in preparation for the coming strike. Instead of having a face firm with resolve, Kai's monster began to gawk at the seductress, dropping his guard, allowing the harlot to approach kiss him. Quickly she moved from a simple kiss, though, to licking his face all over and kissing his neck. The magician seemed completely enthralled with pleasure, and so did not notice the fangs spring forth within Eros's mouth just before she clamped down, sinking deep into his neck and dropping his lifeless body to the ground. Kai kindly leaned over to his side and threw up, and was completely unaffected when he watched the Grim Reaper slice the final Magister in two, leaving the halves of his body between Kai and Bakura.

"Now Avatar Token, attack Kai directly!" Raising his small scythe, the ghostly image of Death lunged at Kai, who could do nothing besides roll to his right side to avoid getting a sheet of steel embedded in his skull. However, he failed to dodge completely, and felt a bitting pain as his left leg was cut. Screaming in pain as he came out of his small roll, Kai glanced at the wound and realized that it was rather deep. In fact, if it weren't for the amount of adrenaline surging in his body, Kai was sure he would have fainted from the pain.

"It hurts, doesn't it, Kai. And with that leg injured, you wont be able to evade any further attacks. Even if I fail to deal the needed four thousand damage to destroy the final Hari, if you die it would be considered a forfeit, and so I'd still take your powers and the souls that I've collected here, giving me more than enough energy to revive the God of Darkness!"

Hissing in pain, Kai began to rise to his feet, his power once again flaring. Breathing deeply and trying to ignore the pain, Kai began to focus on the injury, which really wasn't that easy. However, he managed to generate enough power to lightly cauterize the ripped skin. However, if he tried another sharp move, he'd easily rip it open again, and this time it would be much more painful.

"I draw." Kai called, drawing again, but was sorely disappointed with the card. Shaking his head in frustration, he passed his turn.

"Excellent." Bakura chimed, drawing a card and looking at Kai. "Time to die." Rasing his arm, he directed his four monsters. "Wraith, Eros, Soul Reaper and Avatar, attack and kill him!" he commanded. Each of the beasts turned to Kai, and although the succubus was the only one whose face he could actually see, he was certain that there was a twisted grin on the face of each of Bakura's monsters. Releasing another large burst of energy, Kai attempted to both intimidate them while reassuring himself of his strength. He didn't understand quite his limits or how to control the energy in a useful way, but he had figured out how to control the flow of the power. To his dismay, Bakura's monsters merely laughed, intrigued by the prospect of ripping him apart. As one they charged across the field, crushing bones and splashing blood as they closed in on their target, who had nothing left on his field.

Suddenly, however, a pillar of white light shot up around Kai, blasting the four demons back to Bakura's side of the field. Bakura himself was merely staring with a mix of rage, surprise, and confusion as the light around Kai continued to burn for a few seconds more before fading away. "How did you..."

"I activated a card I discarded the first time I used Disintao's effect." Kai explained as a magic card and five others spat out of his graveyard. "Defiance of Destiny allows me to shuffle five cards, plus itself, from my graveyard back into my deck to block your attacks for a turn." Bakura merely shook with anger as he realized that Kai had avoided death once again. Snatching two cards from his hand, he set them face down and ended his turn, leaving him with two in his hand.

Taking a second to inspect his new cards, Kai smiled with relief. "I summon Master of the Archives (1900/1200) in attack mode, who lets me select one magic card from my deck when summoned and place it into my hand." Pulling his deck free, Kai took a deep breath, trying to decide on the card he wanted. Finally, he settled on one and then shuffled his deck and placed it back in his Duel Disk. He also took the time to notice that his deck was actually beginning to thin down. Bakura had said that the deck was linked to his soul, meaning that if the deck was now wearing thing, it did not bode well for his power. Shaking this aside, Kai inserted the chosen magic card into his Duel Disk.

"Magical Dimension activates if I have a spellcaster on the field, destroying one of your monsters and allowing me to summon a new magician to my field." The golden sarcophagus appeared and released its chains, wrapping around the sword wielding demon and pulling it in. When the coffin again opened, out stepped a new magician, even to Kai, female and clothed in golden robes and wielding a staff that seemed to be made of pure sapphire. "Aeon Magician (2500/1500) will be my weapon for attack." As Kai spoke, the mage struck a pose. Grabbing two more cards from his hand, Kai slid them both into his magic field.

"Poison of the Old man will grant me twelve hundred Life Points."

Kai-1200/Bakura-500

Bakura nodded, and then Kai pointed to the other card. "Diffusion Wave Motion costs me one thousand Life Points to attack all of your monsters, so go Aeon Magician, attack!" Kai commanded, a ball of light forming at the head of the sapphire staff. The light then began to expand off of the staff in the form of large white rings, each one at a different angle and slicing through Bakura's monsters, turning them to dust.

Kai-200/Bakura-0

"Activate face down cards!" Bakura called over the destruction and Kai gritted his teeth in frustration. "Ouiju Revival activates when one of my monsters is destroyed, and I may then revive a monster from my graveyard." Kai groaned as he looked at the trap card, depicting an ankh etched into a stone tablet. Just as Kai predicted, from beneath the dust and carnage emerged a silver monster with a snakes head for a tail. "Return to me, Diabound Carnal!" Kai then watched as the other face down card flipped up, revealing a simple box mirror. "Mirror Wall Ouiju activates when a monster is destroyed and increases the attack points of another monster on my field by half the attack points of the monster that was attacking. That means that Diabound will gain half the attack points of Aeon Magician!" (Diabound-3050)

Shaking with anger at seeing Bakura's Ka again, Kai set a card face down and ended his turn.

"I now equip Diabound Carnal with Unholy Armor!" Bakura cried as black steel bands wrapped around his monster, becoming a very tightly fit yet flexible suit of armor, complete with large spikes extending from the shoulders and long, curved blades starting at the wrists and reaching nearly a foot past Diabound's knuckles. Finally, a black helmet formed around the head, allowing for the three horns to still stick out, but the face now appeared much more menacing. "This card increases Diabound's attack by three hundred and his defense by eight hundred. Also, normally, by paying two hundred Life Points, I could remove one monster in my graveyard from play and increase the attack points of my Diabound by two hundred times the level of the removed monster, and would last for three turns. Regrettably, I no longer have the Life Points to pay, so you've been spared for now." (Diabound-3350/2400)

Failing to hide his fear, Kai continued to stare at Diabound, a creature of great and hidden powers that refused to die. Not even three thousand years had been enough to erase the monster from existence, and now Bakura was giving it his all. What chance did Kai, in all his inexperience, stand?

"Next I'll play another Afterimage of Ghost to once again make a Dark Soul token (3350)." Next to Diabound formed another exact double, equipped with the vile armor. "Next I play Growing Darkness to make a number of tokens on my field equal to the number of a monster I currently have in play. As such, I'll now gain two more Dark Soul tokens (3350)."

Kai gawked as he stared down four copies of Diabound, each one equipped with the black armor and powered up with strength taken from his own Aeon Magician. All Kai could do was sigh with the small relief that Bakura didn't yet have a monster with a minimum of four thousand attack points, and was now out of cards to play.

"Diabound, attack Kai's Aeon Magician!" Bakura ordered and the demon complied, forming a sphere of energy and hurtling it at Kai's monster, shattering the sorceress to pieces.

Kai-0/Bakura-0

"Dark Soul's, attack directly and burn him to ash!" Each of the three copies raised their arms and formed spheres of the other realm flames. Kai, in response increased the output of his energy to form a shield. The three beams of flame lanced towards Kai, colliding with his energy. They remained in a deadlock for a few seconds more before Kai's barrier gave and the three streams, now severely weakened by the struggle, passed through and struck Kai in the chest, casting him into the air and sailing several feet back, crashing to the ground and skidding.

Laughing, Bakura ended his turn, his hand now void of cards to play. Kai, meanwhile, was struggling to stand, his shirt now mostly gone, the front burned away, the remnants of his sleeves and the back of the shirt hanging rag on his body. Clutching his chest, Kai winced as his left arm lifted up so that he could draw. "I summon a monster in defense mode set one card face down. End." he coughed, rubbing his sore chest.

Drawing a card, Bakura frowned in frustration, no doubt irked that he hadn't drawn a card to enable him to finish off Kai's Hari. Adding the lone card to his hand, he directed his attention back to Kai. "Diabound, attack! Death Spiral!" In another flash of mystical flames, cards monster became another pile of ashes on the ground. "Dark Souls, direct attack!" This time, Kai did not raise another wall of energy, partially because he didn't have the strength to waste at the moment, but mostly because he was instead activating his set card. Bakura caught a glimpse of a green border before a swirling wall of some sort of vapor appeared, solid enough to block the oncoming attacks.

"Eternal Witness was one of the cards I returned to my deck with Mystical Historian." Kai explained as the attacks faded away along with his shield. He was safe, for now.

"Why wont you die?" Bakura screamed at Kai, who was breathing deeply while drawing his two cards. "Why is it so difficult for you people to realize that even if I'm delayed now, I cannot be stopped? Why can't you just give up and die? You yourself have witnessed the cruelty of humanity, so why do you continue to struggle to save them? They'll never know that you bought them a little time. You won't be rewarded in the slightest bit!"

"Because," Kai gasped, trying his best to ignore the pain he was in. "Because, despite all the pain I've witnessed, and how much I was tortured throughout my life, I still don't want anyone whose innocent enough to have to die when I could have stopped possibly prevented it. None of those people, despite how cruel I think they may have been, deserves to die. And I don't have the right to judge them, because I made myself believe my life was worse than it really was. I don't have the right to allow the destruction of someone just because I couldn't deal with life. I made that mistake once, but I wont let it happen again!"

"Bold words." Bakura chortled. "I look forward to ramming them down your throat, suffocating you with guilt and hypocrisy as you die!"

"I set one card face down, and end my turn." Kai choked in pain as his muscles retaliated against his moving.

"Now you die!" Bakura shouted, gleefully staring at his drawn card. "Ouiju Tome allows me to remove one demon in my graveyard and add its attack points to Diabound for one turn. I think I'll equip a Death Caliber Knight to Diabound." Instantly, Diabound's attack points shot up by nineteen hundred, much to Bakura's joy and Kai's lament. (Diabound-5250) "Diabound Carnal, take your army and strike him down where he stands!" The four monsters each raised their hands, each one preparing an identical ball of phantom flames. Kai looked on, knowing full well that there was no way he had the strength left in his to block all four. "Die!" The four streams launched, the force of each of them sending dust, ash and bone everywhere and instantly drying the blood that had remained somewhat liquid, baking it into the ground.

"Go face down card!" Kai called, pressing a button on his Duel Disk. Bakura began to curse. A ball of energy formed between Kai and the attack and began to spin in place rapidly, stretching into the shape of two cones connected at the tips, each player being faced by the larger end. "Time Gyre negates all attacks this turn and raises my Life Points by the total levels of your monsters multiplied by three hundred." The four attacks merged into one and entered the spiral of light and then emerged on Kai's end as a collection of small streams of light, flowing into his body, filling him with a bit of warmth and a slight boost to his energy, but nothing fantastic.

Kai-6000/Bakura-0

"Damn you!" Bakura shouted. "Can't you understand that I want you dead!"

"I know." Kai breathed, most of the aching in his body gone now, thankfully. "But really, I don't give a damn." Slowly, he drew his two cards, adding one to his hand and holding the other alone in his fingers. As quickly as he could, he moved it to his Duel Disk and slipped it into one of the many vacant slots. "Go, Hell-Heaven!" As he declared this, a bright golden ring appeared around both duelists, acting as a boundary of some sort. "This card generates a mystical aura around us, destroying all monsters currently on the field." Kai explained as Diabound and the three Dark Soul tokens instantly exploded into fragments of metal and skin.

"No, Diabound!" Bakura cried as his faithful Ka disappeared for the second time.

"He'll be back." Kai assured. "Because now we'll each special summon one monster from our graveyards to the field." Both players reached down and held out their hands as their graveyards ejected their desired cards. "I summon Time Mage (2400/2500) in attack mode."

"Return to me, Diabound Carnal!" Bakura shouted as his mighty monster rose from the depths of Hell.

"Also, from now on, during each of our standby phases, we'll each get to special summon one monster from our graveyards." Kai explained. "For now, Time Mage, destroy Diabound!" Kai ordered and his monster complied, spinning his staff around while charging energy to the head, firing a ball of light and blasting Diabound to pieces. Sadly, since Bakura already had zero Life Points, nothing else happened. "I end my turn." Kai completed, pleased with his new control of the field. Sadly, Hell-Heaven was a two-edged sword, and could easily come back and cause his destruction. He just had to stay ahead of Bakura, now.

"I draw!" Bakura started his turn as Diabound reappeared on his field and Guardian of Time on Kai's. "I play Altar of the Dark God!" Between the two duelists appeared a grotesque pedestal made of bones and skulls. "Now this card will generate one Ouiju token (700/400) to my field." A blue flame suddenly erupted upon the altar, and from it emerged a demonic creature with large black bat wings wrapped around its body. "That ends my turn."

Kai drew a card, his Aeon Magician (2500/1500) appearing while Bakura's Soul Reaper (1800/1900) did as well, producing its Avatar token (1900/500). Meanwhile, another of the demonic Ouiju tokens appeared, completely filling Bakura's field, but that would soon change.

"Time Mage, Aeon Magician and Guardian of Time, attack Diabound Carnal, Avatar token, and Soul Reaper!" Kai ordered. All three magicians raised their staffs, preparing their magical bursts. With a nod from Kai, they released the attacks, each one aimed for one of Bakura's monsters.

"I activate the ability of my Ouiju tokens!" Bakura shouted as the two bat creatures vanished. "I will add their attack points to Diabound Carnal and my Avatar token, making them strong enough to counter attack!" (Diabound-2500)(Avatar-2600)

Kai gritted his teeth as the two monsters power shot up and they beat aside Kai's attacks before launching their own, destroying both of Kai's monsters, while his Guardian of Time's attack destroyed the Soul Reaper.

Kai-5800/Bakura-0

"Go face down card!" Kai shouted as his trap card lifted up. "Hope of Desperation will increase my Life Points by the total attack points of a monster that was just destroyed, so I'll absorb Aeon Magician's twenty-five hundred!"

Kai-8300/Bakura-0

"Next I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Altar!" Kai called as a twister of wind drilled into Bakura's altar and broke it to pieces. "Now Guardian of Time will use his special ability to remove Diabound from play!" Raising his staff, the magician aimed at Diabound and fired two small balls of light.

"I activate one of the abilities of my Avatar token, redirecting a targeting effect from one demon on the field to him." The two dots of light suddenly curved to the side and struck the small incarnation of Death, dissolving him.

"I set one card face down and end." Kai concluded.

Bakura drew his card and Kai revived his Time Mage while Bakura once revived Thanatos-Envoy of Death. Looking at his drawn card, Bakura smirked, which was never a good sign.

"I play the magic card Death Spiral, which lowers the attack points of your monsters to zero this turn and prevents you from chaining to Diabound's attacks until the turn is through." he explained as a ball of the gold flames appeared in each of Diabound's palms, which he then directed at Kai's two mages, dropping them both to an attack power of zero. "Diabound, attack the Guardian of Time! Thanatos, destroy Time Mage!" Diabound fired another burst of flames at Kai's Guardian, effectively burning him away.

Kai-6500/Bakura-0

"I couldn't chain to Diabound because of your Deathh Spiral card. However, Time Mage is under no such restriction with Thanatos attacking him, so I remove the magic counter from him that was formed when you played Death Spiral, removing him from play and keeping him safe." Kai called over the gallop of Thanatos's horse. His mage faded away just as Thanatos attacked, his scythe cutting nothing but the wind. Seconds later, Time Mage reappeared. Bakura nodded, and Kai drew a card, his Time Mage returning to full strength.

"I revive Aeon Magician!" Kai called.

"Return to me, Wraith-Proprietor of Souls (2100/2200)!" Bakura shouted.

"I play the magic card, Eternity Ring!" Kai shouted as a glowing circle of light appeared above his monsters before descending at high speeds, striking Thanatos's horse in the neck, decapitating the beast before moving on and cutting the rider in half. "This card destroys one of your monsters and raises my Life Points by two hundred times its level, so I gain fourteen hundred Life Points!"

Kai-7900/Bakura-0

"Next, I must pay five hundred Life Points and shuffle it back into my deck." Kai did so, shuffling his deck together for a second before returning it to his holding position.

Kai-7400/Bakura-0

"Aeon Magician, attack Diabound Carnal!" Raising her staff, the sorceress released a magical attack that struck Diabound head-on, burning it to ashes once again. "And now, Time Mage, attack Wraith!" Slashing his staff through the air, Kai's soul monster fired a crescent of magical energies that dissolved Bakura's last monster.

Bakura drew a card and his servant, Diabound appeared while Kai's Guardian of Time emerged. Glancing at his new card, Bakura wasted no time in playing it. "Death Wave!" Raising his arms over his head, Diabound began to charge his attack as normal, but this time the sphere became much larger until it was about the size of Diabound's torso. Swinging his arms down, Diabound crashed the ball against the ground. A massive shockwave rocked the ground as the flames consumed Kai's monsters. "In exchange for my attack this turn, Death Wave destroys all monsters on the field except for Diabound."

Drawing a card, Kai summoned his Aeon Magician once again while Bakura summoned Thanatos. Glancing at the six cards in his hand, he made his choices.

"I set two cards face down and I'll have Aeon Magician attack Diabound." Without any retalition on Bakura's part, Diabound exploded into a shower of pixles. "I end my turn." Kai concluded

"I revive Diabound." Bakura started his turn while also drawing a card.

"And I'll get back Time Mage." Kai called.

"Go, Blood Sacrifice!" Bakura called, activating a magic card from his hand. "I sacrifice Thanatos to draw cards equal to his level, seven in this case." His rider of death exploded and his bones covered the floor while Bakura drew, giving him a hand of eight. "Now I play Shadow Pulse, raising Diabound's attack points by one thousand, and decreasing them by one hundred each turn until he returns to normal." (Diabound-2800) Clenching his teeth, Kai took a second to consider one of his set cards, but decided against it. This required precise timing on his part. "Diabound, attack Aeon Magician!" Screaming in pain, the female spellcaster burned to ashes, littering the ground even more.

Kai-7100/Bakura-0

Kai drew, reviving his Guardian of Time while Bakura retrieved Thanatos. Then, sliding another card onto his Duel Disk, Kai made the first extra summon outside of Hell-Heaven in some time. "I play Bond of Brothers, paying one thousand Life Points to special summon two monsters from my deck of the same time as one on my field and who are level four or lower. So I summon Time Paladin (1900/1800) and Guardian Magician of the Future (1800/1500) in attack mode!" First a figure in black armor that seemed to be lighter, like a cross between standard armor and magicians robes and wielding a sword which glowed with a mystical light appeared. Next to him was another figure, this one in crimson robes and armed with a staff that had a blade at the end on either side, like a very short double-bladed scythe.

Depressing a button on his Duel Disk, one of his set cards flipped up, revealing two men in robes with their staffs crossed. "Magicians Cross allows my two new magicians to attack as one with an attack power of three thousand!" Kai declared as the sword and small scythe were crossed over each other, generating a ball of magic at the point of intersection, from which was released a blast of light that burned Diabound away. "Aeon Magician, attack Thanatos!" Kai ordered and his magess prepared an attack that would cost her life this time around. Firing her attack off, she shot a hole in Thanatos's stomach, but with his last bit of strength he managed to swing his scythe down, decapitating her.

Grimacing at the sickening sight, Kai turned to his Time Mage and nodded. Again, firing a stream of magical energy, Kai's attack went unobstructed, hitting Bakura in the chest and bringing him to his knees for an instant.

While crouching, clutching his chest and wincing in pain, Bakura heard it, as did Kai. The cracking of glass! Both turned to the black Kioku just in time to see it shatter. Rising to his feet, Bakura's face was a mixture of anger and pleasure.

"And there goes Kevin Hunter." he laughed.

"I end my turn." Kai finished. He now had control of the field, and was on even terms with Bakura, except he had far more Life Points. Bakura drew and Kai revived Aeon Magician while Bakura returned Diabound.

"I wasn't going to give you the honor, Kai, of meeting my greatest creature, but it seems that now I have no choice." Bakura spat. "But for now, I require a moment more of preparation. So, I sacrifice Diabound!" Kai was taken aback. He didn't think Bakura would ever send Diabound to the grave under his own power. In the end, all Kai could think was that Bakura was more shallow than he had originally thought, having no loyalty, even to his most trusted creature.

The monster that took Diabound's place actually looked a great deal like Diabound Carnal, only much bigger, with actual claws in place of fingers and a feral face with large fangs. It also had green skin, and the wings had become very demonic in appearance. Instantly, less than a second before Bakura announced it, Kai recognized it from the vision he'd been shown.

"I summon Diabound Spirit (3500/2900) in attack mode!"

Kai took a few steps back, his mind reeling. This version of Diabound had been nearly impossible to defeat in the ancient world, and since it was Bakura's turn, Kai could only guess that soon he'd lose his advantage.

"Diabound Spirit, activate your special ability!" Bakura ordered and a card ejected from his graveyard. "I remove Thanatos from play to destroy all monsters on the field whose level is at least two less than him, meaning all but your Aeon Magician die." he chuckled as three of Kai's monsters exploded, their fragments piling up to Kai's knees. Now the field was even with one monster a piece, but Bakura's was much stornger. "Now I'll use his other special ability to remove another demon, in this case my Demon Soldier (1900/1500) from play to deduct his attack points from your monsters attack points!" Kai's last monster suddenly screamed and grabbed her stomach, as if she were being eaten alive from the inside. (Aeon Magician-600)

"Diabound Spirit, attack!" Raising both palms, this Diabound connected his wrists and formed a large ball of dark energy which it turned into a stream of purple flames, consuming Kai's monster.

Kai-4200/Bakura-0

"Finally, I play Conversion to Darkness, allowing me to search for any card in my deck that is either a Dark monster or a card that has 'Dark' or 'Darkness' in its name." Bakura smirked, pulling his deck free. "However, that card cannot be placed on the field during this turn, so I end." he concluded, slipping one card face down.

Drawing, Kai revived his Time Mage while Bakura's Diabound Carnal returned to the field. Looking his full hand of cards over, Kai couldn't think of anything to do. "Time Mage, attack and destroy Diabound Carnal!" Firing another blast of magic, Kai's mage easily eliminated Bakura's monster, but there was no further effect because it hadn't dealt four thousand damage. Nodding, Kai signaled the end of his turn. He had to hope that the card he had set a few turns ago would be enough.

Before Bakura could speak, Diabound Carnal returned once more, as did Guardian of Time. Making sure that Kai had nothing else planned, Bakura began.

"Before I summon this monster, I think I should eliminate as many threats as possible. As such, I'll play the card I set last turn, Black Thunderclap to destroy magic and trap cards on your field equal to the total number of monsters on my field, so both of those that you set a few turns back are destroyed!" From the void above the field emerged a bolt of lightning, incinerating Kai's two cards. "Also, Diabound Carnal, posses Time Mage." Again, Kai was powerless to act as his monster was enthralled by the shade. (Time Mage-600) "Now, I sacrifice Diabound Spirit to summon my ultimate monster!" Fading until he became a shadowed silhouette of himself, Diabound Spirit began to grow, becoming darker as he did so. There was another clap of thunder, black as night, and when Kai's vision had returned, he fell to his knee in terror, his eyes never leaving what was before him.

It was a being of pure evil. That was the first thing Kai knew. The darkness he had sensed from Diabound had been nothing compared to this. It was also huge, as in tall enough to crush any small building under its foot without noticing. Its arms both ended in five fingers with long claws, hardly visible because said claws were just as black as its skin. It's face resembled that of any stereotypical demon, with fangs, ram-shaped horns, and glowing red eyes. What enabled Kai to recognize it instantly was the snake appendage reaching out of its abdomen. Just like Diabound's tail, only black and much, much bigger. Kai stared in horror, his hope being literally drained from him by the very presence of this demon.

"Behold my god, Zork-God of Darkness (10000/10000)!" Bakura laughed with confidence, which was well earned, seeing as he had withstood Kai's attacks thus far and now had a monster with ten thousand attack points.

"Zork wants your blood, and your soul. Do you feel it Kai? Do you feel that desire?" Dropping his head to hide his face from view, Kai began to stand. All he had were his two time magicians, one of them currently being possessed by Diabound and weakened to a sparse six hundred attack points. "I see you've chosen to die with dignity, on your feet." Bakura chuckled. "Not that it matters. Being killed by Zork is the most honorable way anyone could die. You gave it your best, Kai, but in the end, you can't destroy three thousand years of hatred and vengeance."

"Maybe I can't." Kai agreed, his voice barely a whisper. "Maybe I can't destroy it because I don't understand it as well as I thought I did." Now he raised his head, his face firm and determined. "I thought I understood both your rage and my power, but in the end I'm still missing something. The only path left to me is to face this demon of Hell head-on, and see if my soul doesn't have the strength needed to pull through!"

Closing his eyes and chuckling lightly, Bakura decided he'd finally had enough. "I told you I would ram your bold words of heroics and determination down your throat. Go Zork, attack Time Mage! Destroy what's left of his Life Points, and the final Hari! Force him to die, reliving a moment in his life so horrid that he locked it away to the point that he cannot even remember it!"

Nodding, the dark god lifted his right hand and held it over Kai's still body. There was no light surrounding him to block off this attack. No cards to play from his hand or graveyard, and no monster to monster effect either. Nothing he did was going to stop this attack, and he knew it. Perhaps that's what allowed him to go with such peace of mind, even as he felt the black flames form in Zork's palm, felt them descend in a pillar of hellfire that surrounded him, so empty of any virtue that Kai was certain that the coldest of the Antarctic winds could never compare with it. And still he held his head high.

Kai-0/Bakura-0

He heard the cracking of glass, and felt himself be pulled into another day, another time, many years ago...

_To Be Continued..._

There you have it. Kai gave it his best in an attempt to save the world, and now he's hit zero Life Points and all four Hari are shattered, meaning he loses. So, what will happen now? And what is to be learned in the final memory of the Darkness Game? And is there a method through which _anyone_ can beat Zork?

_Next Time: Kai has lost to Bakura, and if forced to see the last memory which he had locked away. But what was it? And what is its connection to the third memory? What's that? Eternity Mage?_

_Next Time- Eternity Tempest_

Original Cards-

Kai- Time Mage, Chronos Alchemist, Magicians Ordination, Sorcerer of Ages, Mystic Moon Dial, Envoy of the Archives, Soul Spell, Defiance of Destiny, Tempus Reversa, Mystical Historian, River of Time, Immortal Magister, Millenial Curse, Master of the Archives, Aeon Magician, Time Sage, Time Paladin, Time Gyre,

Bakura- Betrayal of the Dark Heart, Ouiju Sanctuary, Thanatos-Envoy of Death, Eros-Ensign of Impurity, Dark Energy Storm, Wraith-Proprietor of Souls, Soul Reaper,

Unholy Armor, Growing Darkness, Ouiju Tome, Death Spiral, Shadow Pulse, Conversion to Darkness, Diabound Spirit, Blood Sacrifice, Zork-God of Darkness

By Seeker of the Soul- Repayment of Losses, Horde of the Night, Repressed Memory of Suffering,

By G.O.T.Nick- Disintao-Elder Mage

Review Responses-

WolfGeneral- As you can see, one good magic or trap wasn't enough in the end. Yes, he kept on killing Diabound, but it kept on coming back, keeping things kinda all cycle-like.

Noble Paladin- You're the first person I've ever known to talk smack about Yami Bakura. I'm shocked. But I don't think your argument is that good. I mean, if you were nine years old and watched your family get _melted_ into magical items, I think even you'd drop a few points on the sanity scale. Then again, I really don't know why I'm defending the guy, since I'm not his biggest fan. A fan yes, just not as much of one as some other people I know. But as you can see, Kai couldn't crush him.

Demon Fan- Although Dark Master Zork is a good ritual monster, he doesn't suit Bakura's style for this deck, which is one of graveyard effects mostly (Just so happens that a lot of the graveyard moves he had set up didn't get a chance to go off). And, as you can see, he's got a far better Zork anyway.

Seeker of the Soul- And now you know.

John- He has to do four thousand damage with a single attack to destroy the final Kioku. Of course, since he's now lost and everything, that would be a problem, wouldn't it?

White Mage- I like to think so.

G.O.T.Nick- Yes, it was good. A pain to script and write, but good still. And as you can see, Diabound hasn't changed much over the centuries.

The Helldragon- The Force is strong with this one you, revealing to you Bakura's ultimate move. As for the kudo bit, I really can't describe how they taste. As for getting one, my secretary will get back to you on that...Eventually. First I need to get a secretary, though.

DragonMaster- Why are you even bothering to read my story then?


	25. Eternity Tempest

Here we are, the exciting conclusion of the Battle City Finals, and the last chapter of the story, with an epilogue waiting in the wings. This chapter is dedicated to all the fans, because without you guys, I couldn't have made it (you'll see what I mean after the chapters end).

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Eternity Tempest**

Kai Kaethan looked over the scene before him with soberness. He was floating in the air like a haunting spirit overlooking a scene from five years before. It was his most feared memory, because it was one that he had not been able to understand because of the lack of details, but also because of what he feared _had_ happened. What he feared _he_ had done.

He stared down at a grassy field near a decent sized village. It was only about half an hour after the twelve young teenagers had so savagely abused him. He had blacked out and when he awoke, he was in the hospital. All of them had found all lying in the grass, bruised and unconscious.

"Was I the one who placed each of those boys in the emergency room?" he asked himself. "Was I the one who did what was needed to fulfill my desire to have strength enough to end the torment? The one who..." he didn't complete the thought, still afraid after all of these years to admit the possible truth.

He began to remember what he had learned later that day as he was questioned by the police. According to them, the leader of the boys, the one who had gone out of his way for seven years to try and make Kai miserable, had died shortly after arriving at the hospital. Kai's entire frame had been shaken to the core upon learning that, because, in his heart, he knew that he had been the one to hurt the boys, although he couldn't remember. However, he was released because it was determined that he was innocent, since he lacked the capacity to have possibly done what had been done to those boys. Furthermore, he had been unconscious himself when the paramedics arrived, and so it was determined that there was some sort of deranged sociopath on the loose who had attacked the group of boys and Kai.

"Did I kill him?" Kai finally asked aloud.

_"No."_ a voice answered, seeming to have come from Kai's right-hand side. Kai turned his head, but found no one. _"You are innocent! You were a victim of circumstance and half-truths."_ Kai glanced around furiously, trying to locate the voice, but seeing no one.

"Who are you?" he asked, turning to look behind himself. Nothing. Turning back, he startled and jumped backwards.

Looking him in the eye was himself!

Well, at least, it looked like him, only with white hair. Every other feature they shared in common. The same hard stare and fortress of a face. The same clothes. The same two different colored eyes.

"I am you." the white haired figure answered simply. "At least, a portion of you. I am a collection of memories from previous Guardians, preserved through your family. My entire purpose for being was so that once your powers emerged, I would combine with you and those memories would help you to learn how to control and utilize your powers."

"A part of me?' Kai asked. "And what am I?"

"You are the whole vessel. I've been in hiding for some time, until you were ready to be joined with me. I've slowly been giving you power when you needed it most."

"In hiding?" Kai nearly shouted. "Look at this!" he waved his hand around, indicating the screaming boy and the bodies all around him. "You could have killed them! You _did_ kill Shiro. You couldn't have done that if you had been hiding."

"Like I said Kai, I am a merely memories and power. I was strong -strong enough to give you the power to take action that day. I didn't do it Kai, _you_ did. You made the choices that day. I don't have the power to control your body. You are confusing me with the ancient spirits of the past like Bakura who could do that. I'm not one of them."

Kai froze as these words sunk in. It had been him after all. He had killed.

"However, Kai, you did _not_ kill Shiro that day." the reflection continued. Kai jerked his gaze back to the doppelganger and his eyes widened with surprise and curiosity.

"How do you..."

"When I began to charge your body with power, I was brought to the surface of your conscience. When that happened, I caught a glimpse of Shiro's own memories. To someone like me, it's very easy to see the memories of someone who hasn't sealed them. In that moment, I learned why it was that Shiro hated you so much." Again, Kai stared with surprise, bordering on disbelief. Nodding, his signaled to his other self to continue.

"Shiro learned when he was just a boy that he had been born with a disease that would ensure that he'd never live past his teenage years. Weighed down with that fear, Shiro went day to day full of terror that if he went to bed that night, he may never wake up again." Kai's jaw dropped as this was unveiled to him. He had never heard about any of this. Then again, he had forced himself to forgot the memory only a few weeks after it happened. "Then Shiro met you. He could sense immediately your own personal despair and loneliness, feeling connected to you by that, but then you did something he could never forgive. You were stronger than he was. You could face each day and in the end, your fear and anger dissolved. Shiro couldn't stand that fact, and so he tried desperately to push you bellow him, therefore making you weaker and letting him forget his own fears. And when you wouldn't give in, it only enraged him more." Kai cast his eyes to the ground, having trouble accepting that someone as inhumane as Shiro had actually been more human that perhaps even Kai himself.

The story did not end there, however. "Then, the night before the day they attacked you, Shiro received grave news: the doctors did not expect him to live through the week. In denial, he ran from home, spent the night in a tree, wandered the city the next day, and then found his way to the park. Only one thought entered his mind during that whole time, and it was the fact that you would outlive him. Unable to cope with that fact, Shiro banded his friends and hunted you down and attacked you. Shiro refused to die knowing that you had beaten him." Kai swallowed hard, trying to adapt this story to the same, nearly demonic young man who had done everything to try and destroy Kai, both emotionally and physically.

To Kai's surprise, the copy continued past the events at the park. "After you rendered him unconscious, Shiro was rushed to the hospital and died there, his time finally up. For nearly thirty-six hours they went without looking up his record and learning about his heart condition, so when the police found out about his death, they assumed instantly that it was a result of the attack."

"How do you know that?" Kai asked. "You said you got those memories from Shiro, but once he was dead you couldn't have learned anything else from him."

"True," the silver haired man admitted. "But you forget that I have access to your memories as well, Kai. After you were released from the hospital, you heard news about the young man who had died of a heart failure with Shiro's name, but in your desire to purge yourself of the memory, the two became disconnected and you never realized your innocence."

"So I didn't kill him?" Kai asked, looking for confirmation. The reflection nodded. Instantly Kai felt as if a large weight had been lifted from his shoulders and a dark veil had been taken from his eyes. "So, why are you here?" he finally asked.

"You came here Kai, looking for me, didn't you." the other Kai continued. "You knew which memory you'd face, and you knew you'd see me. That's why you took the blow that you did." Again Kai nodded. "Then the time has come. Time for me to fade away from existence and become one with you!" They grasped hands, and a bright light erupted from their clasped palms.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"What's this?" Bakura shouted as Kai's body began to straighten up and glow with a bright light. His hair began to whip about with the energy he was exerting, and began to change to a fine dark silver. He stood stronger, with more force of will now than he had displayed earlier. He no longer seemed to be afflicted in the slightest bit by the stress of the earlier duels. He was completely changed. Even his clothes had changed, or rather, new clothes formed to replace his cut and burned ones. Now he was dressed in off-white pants, a blue shirt and a silver trench coat with sleeves that ended at the mid forearm rather than the wrist and had wide openings. The strange part was that each of them seemed to be styled differently than what was contempory, appearing almost ancient, similar to what some of Kai's magicians wore.

"I'm back, Bakura, and I think that it's time I put an end to you and your god of wickedness!" Kai challenged, his voice itself no different, simply the power behind it had increased dramatically.

"Who are you?" the villainous man demanded. "You're nothing like the Kai I defeated."

"But I am Kai." the boy responded. "Just the reborn Kai. I've been completed. I've found the missing piece of the puzzle. But, if it'd make you feel better, I could make a new name for my new self. Call me Enzeru. Enzeru Eitai. I am the Guardian of Time."

"I see. That's excellent." Bakura shouted with glee, rather than cowering in fear than some may have expected. Enzeru certainly wasn't. "Now I'll take your full Guardian powers. You said you're still Kai, so you still lost. You came too late.'

"I think not." Enzeru shot back. "In order for me to lose, it would be required that my Life Points be at zero and that all four Hari be destroyed."

"And so you lost!" Bakura fumed, his nearly non-existent patience for this boy having been spent about twenty turns ago.

"No I didn't. In order to lose at this Darkness Game, all four of my Hari must be destroyed and my Life Point be at zero to lose. However, I don't fit the full curriculum as it stands." Enzeru corrected, holding up his Duel Disk, showing his Life Point score to Bakura. In response the tomb robber's eyes nearly exploded from their sockets.

Enzer-34000/Bakura-0

"WHAT?" he shouted, not even thinking about trying to hide his shock. How was it possible? How could Kai go from just barely over four thousand Life Points to way over thirty thousand while being attacked by a monster with ten thousand attack points?

In response, Enzeru nodded to his side, indicating a trap card that had flipped up. It was the trap he had set nearly ten turns ago. Bakura had not considered it a threat, since it hadn't been played in response to any earlier attacks. And now, it had somehow saved Kai's life, and made him somehow stronger.

"My trap card, Time is My Enemy, activates when I have zero Life Points. My Life Points then become equal to the total attack power of each monster in my graveyard. However, each turn I must remove one monster from my graveyard and deduct its level multiply by three hundred from my Life Points. Fortunately, most of the monsters in my graveyard are level four, with level three monster, four level two monsters, and a number of high level cards as well." Enzeru explained. Bakura ground his teeth together upon hearing this, but soon managed to calm himself.

"So even if I didn't attack you, you'd barely last more than twenty turns, correct?" Enzeru nodded. "Of course, with Zork, you won't last beyond three." he chuckled. "I end my turn and Diabound returns to my field. However, I may not perform any further summons now that Zork is on the field." Bakura ended, slipping a card face down, allowing Enzeru to take his turn.

"I use Hell-Heaven to revive my Time Mage (2400/2500)." he began as he drew his two cards. "I play Eternity Ring to destroy Diabound before he becomes to much of a problem!" Again the glowing circlet of magic appeared and swished through the air, slicing through Diabound easily. Enzeru then took the magic card from his Duel Disk and shuffled it into his deck while his Life Points ticked down slightly.

Enzeru-33500/Bakura-0

"Next I'll set one monster face down and set two cards behind it. That ends my turn." Enzeru concluded, leaving him with four cards in hand while three cards appeared between him and Bakura's monstrous creature. Fortunately, Zork was all that Bakura had, and he couldn't summon any more monsters now. Then again, Zork had all that would be needed to beat Enzeru if he wasn't careful.

A light clicking noise was heard as Enzeru's graveyard ejected a card, which he took and slipped into his back pocket, as was the effect of his trap card. He had noticed it was a level four monster, so the damage would be average.

Enzeru-32300/Bakura-0

"You may have found a way of isolating Zork so that he is now the only monster I can have on the field, but he's still enough to destroy you." the white-haired man boasted, even as Guardian of Time (2400/2500) appeared on Enzeru's field as well. "First I play the magic card Defending Seal of the Dead Spirits to force the monster you just set into attack mode." Enzeru watched unwavering as his Tempus Sorceress (1600/1700) flipped face up.

"Next I activate one of Zork's abilities, removing three demon monster from my graveyard and equipping them to your monsters. Now I'll curse Time Mage and Guardian of Time! At the end of this turn they will both be destroyed and you will lose Life Points equal to their level totals, plus those of the two demons equipped to them, multiplied by two hundred. Meanwhile your Sorceress will have her attack points decreased by the level of the monster I equip to her multiplied by three hundred. To Time Mage and Guardian of Time I will equip my last two Death Caliber Knights, and my Ouiju Diviner to your Sorceress, lowering her attack points by twelve hundred." (Tempus Sorceress-400/1700) Enzeru still did not blink, but instead actually pressed a button on his Duel Disk.

"I play my quick-play card known as Veil of Time." From the magic card emerged a thin piece of some sort of material, seeming to be made of the same unnatural force that so many of Kai's monsters had attacked with all duel long. "Because you've activated an effect that will destroy magicians on my field, all magicians on my field may attack directly before the destruction effect resolves."

"Why bother?" Bakura laughed at the time master's attempts. "You still need to deal four thousand damage to me to destroy the final Kioku, and none of those magicians stands a chance of dealing it."

"Think so?" Enzeru called back, pressing another button. "Go Magicians Creed!" Another green bordered card switched up, its picture one of a hexagram and a spellcaster suspended in front of it, his arms wide and his garments billowing with unseen power. "Like Magicians Cross, this card allows magicians to attack as one. However, whereas Magicians Cross limits-or sometimes grants-the magicians to three thousand attack, this one allows me to pay one thousand Life Points to make their attack total become equal to their levels multiplied by five hundred!" Bakura did a quick calculation, and then realized the outcome. "Time Mage and Guardian of Time are both level five, so that's four thousand attack points, perfect for the final blow!"

Enzeru-31300/Bakura-0

The two magicians stood side by side and smirked slight before lifting their staffs. The tips of both staves touched instead of crossing, and together they fired their attack, a stream of magic with a thing blue ribbon spiraling it. The attack completely missed Zork, headed straight for Bakura.

"Did you think I'd lose so easily, when Zork is at my side? NEVER!" he shouted, activating his set card and a black ball of wind surrounded him. "Dark Wall of Air blocks your attacks aimed at me for this turn." The flow of magic struck Bakura's shield head-on, but never broke through. "Care to try anything else?" Enzeru shook his head. "Then I'll continue my turn. Zork, attack his Sorceress now!"

Zork did not move. His red eyes merely flashed ruby and then the third arm, shaped like a snake that reached out of his waste, swished about in the air for a second, eyeing Enzeru's weakened monster. Finally, after eyeing her for a moment more, the sinister hand lifted back and spat a stream of acid that completely enveloped the young woman, who screamed in unbearable agony. Enzeru watched, nonplused now by these sickening death scenes, as her skin melted and her clothes dissolved. Soon even her bones disappeared, leaving a steaming pile on the floor.

Enzeru-21700/Bakura-0

"Finally, I play Grasp the Dark, discarding your entire hand, but in exchange you draw the bottom card of your deck." Bakura ended, leaving him with five cards in his hand, while Enzeru begrudgingly discarded his four cards and then refilled his hand with just one.

"And now, since my turn is over, your last two monsters will die as well, and you will lose Life Points." Enzeru's last two monsters both began to shake violently, dropping their staffs to the ground and clutching their chests and doubling over in pain. After a few seconds more of this, they both instantly decayed to the point that they were just skeletons in old robes.

Enzeru-18100/Bakura-0

Staring at his deck, Enzeru took a second to contemplate his situation. _'I have to think! These cards are made from my soul. As such, they are made up of my own strength, beliefs, ideals, my thoughts and memories-everything. I have to trust that I wont betray myself. I have got to stop just playing the cards, and make them mine!'_ Drawing his two cards, Enzeru smiled as he started to formulate a strategy.

"Hell-Heaven revives Time Mage, and then I set one monster in defense mode and play Elixer of Soul. Since I have a magician on the field, this card allows me to return two monsters to my hand from my graveyard. Then I end my turn." Enzeru finished, adding the cards to his hand, leaving him with three. He then grabbed another card from his graveyard, his Aeon Magician, a level seven monster. Grimacing, he slipped it into the pocket with the other removed cards.

Enzeru-16000/Bakura-0

"You're not doing to well, are you, Guardian." Bakura mocked, even as Guardian of Time returned to the field. "How does it feel to be so hard pressed?"

"Stop wasting time." Enzeru snapped back. "Unless you're in that big of a hurry for Zork to fall."

"I think your bluffing." Bakura said swiftly and lightheartedly. "Actually, I know you're bluffing, because there's nothing you can do to defeat Zork. However, I am growing most annoyed with this. Unlike some players, I don't care much for the actual game play. I simply play to get what I want, not because I enjoy it." Bakura looked at his new card, and then off into space for a second, as if pondering something. "Well, I do enjoy watching the enemy struggle under my power or to see how they react to the sheer reality of the Darkness Game. But, I do digress. I remove Wraith-Proprietor of Souls from play and equip him to Time Mage. Normally I'd use him to weaken your mage, but if I attacked you'd just sacrifice that magic counter to hide him. But then I'll also remove Headless Knight (1450/1700) and weaken your Guardian (1200). Now, I'll chip away at you slowly. Zork, attack his face down monster!"

Zork decided this time to actually move about, his focus entirely on Kai's set monster. Lifting his tank-sized foot, Zork stomped down, crushing Enzeru's monster. It was never seen by either player.

"You destroyed Immortal Magister yet again." Enzeru smiled, drawing again and summoning another monster face down.

"How annoying." Bakura fumed, snatching a card from his hand. "To show you how annoyed I am, I play Ire of the Abyss, which allows a dark monster on my field to attack until you are out of monsters!" Eyes flashing, Zork looked down on Enzeru's set monster and fired two red beams that completely consumed the card, shattering it. Again Enzeru drew and summoned another monster, which Zork destroyed by spitting blue flames from his mouth, burning the monster. For the third time in the duel, Enzeru took three monsters from his graveyard and shuffled them into his deck. Next Zork's third arm fired a beam of red light that shot Guardian of Time through the chest, burning a whole that had instantly cauterized while the monster fell back, dead. Finally, Zork raised his arm and swung at Time Mage, intent on rending the monster, but the mage faded away, safe from the attack.

Enzeru-7200/Bakura-0

Enzeru's illusionist reappeared after the claw had passed by, since Bakura's turn was over. However, the magician had been back only a few seconds when suddenly a ghostly image left him, dragging a second image with it. Enzeru recognized the first spirit to be that of Wraith and the second as his Time Mage, leaving the empty body to fall to the ground and crumble while Enzeru took the damage.

Enzeru-5000/Bakura-0

Drawing two cards, Enzeru looked over his options. He couldn't afford to take any more hits from Zork. Fortunately, he saw right away a chance to overcome it all.

""Return to me, Envoy of the Archives (1800/1900)!" Enzeru called as the magician reappeared, confusing Bakura. Afterall, Enzeru had much stronger monsters he could have revived. However, Enzeru had other plans, as he grabbed another card from his hand. "Guardian of the Archives (1000/2200) in defense mode!" he called as the red robed magician appeared. "And now that both Envoy of the Archives and Guardian of the Archives are together on the field, they summon my Master of the Archives (1900/1200) in attack mode!" he called, slapping the second card he had taken back from his graveyard last turn.

"Useless." Bakura spat. "True, you now get to search for a magic card from your deck as well as claim a random one for your Master and Envoy, but your monsters are weak. They'll make easy prey for Zork, and drain your Life Points even further. You should have tried someone stronger."

"Actually, this is exactly what I needed!" Enzeru said, very calm. "When Master of the Archives is summoned by the other two, he raises my Life Points by one hundred for every card in my graveyard." he explained as Bakura's jaw dropped straight to the center of the earth. Enzeru or Kai or whoever he was had a lot of cards in his graveyard.

Enzeru-10500/Bakura-0

"You've only bought one more turn." Bakura assured Enzeru. "Prepare yourself."

"No need." Enzeru reassured, having taken two magic card from his deck and placing them in his hand before selecting a different one to play. "I play Archives of Magic!" he called, activating his continuous magic card. Behind his monster appeared a large building made of marble, three-sided pyramid in shape with a number of spires mounted in the ground all around it. "This card is, in some ways, two fold. First of all, all magicians on my field will instantly receive three hundred attack points, plus two hundred more for every magic counter they hold." The Master of the Archives and his two assistants, appearing to feel right at home, smiled as a ball of light sailed out of the pyramid and into each of their staffs, causing their attack points to rise (Master-2400/1200)(Envoy-2300/1900)(Guardian-1500/2200). However, Enzeru wasn't finished.

"This card is also made to act in perfect correspondence with my Archive magicians, and activates a different effect depending on which ones I have in play at different times. Since I have all three together at once, they will first each receive magic counters equal to their level, so that's four each." Instantly a hailstorm of lights shot from the building, being absorbed into the three magicians staffs. (Master-3200)(Envoy-3100)(Guardian-2300)

"Now I will activate Magical Renaissance to shuffle all magic cards and spellcasters from my graveyard back into my deck!" Enzeru called as a fistful of cards ejected from his graveyard, which he then shuffled with his deck, and leaving him with a graveyard of about five cards. "Next I play Swords of Revealing Light to stop you and Zork for three turns." From the sky descended three glowing swords made of pure light, sticking into the ground directly in front of Zork, who reared back and hissed at the objects of purity. At the same time, three more bolts of light emerged from the pyramid and added to the three magicians. (Master-3400)(Envoy-3300)(Guardian(2300) "That ends my turn. And since I have no monsters in my graveyard to remove, I automatically take fifteen hundred points of damage from Time is My Enemy."

Enzeru-9000/Bakura-0

Drawing a card, Bakura growled low in the back of his throat in disappointment. "I remove Nightwraith (1500/1200), Eros (1600/1400) and Nightstalker (1800/1100) and equip them to your monsters, and I'll have my demons weaken each of your monsters, since your Guardian would otherwise protect them from the destruction effect." Enzeru nodded as each of his monsters was assaulted by a shadow that reached out of Bakura's graveyard. He had expected this would happen, and so felt it better to not lose his cool. He's get his chance. (Master-2200)(Envoy-2100)(Guardian-1100)

Drawing his two cards, Enzeru sighed. "Hand Rebirth activates once again!" he called, and both players deposited five cards into the graveyard and drew five new ones. At the same time, three more lights emerged from the Archives, empowering each of Enzeru's monsters. (Master-2400)(Envoy-2300)(Guardian-1300) "I'll set two cards face down and end my turn." he quickly finished, again taking damage for his trap card.

Enzeru-7500/Bakura-0

"You're chipping yourself away, you realize that, don't you." Bakura jeered. Enzeru continued to pay him no heed. Shrugging with slight disappointment, Bakura made his move. "I'll first have Mefist the Infernal General (1800/1300), Gelnia (1300/1200) and Hell Soldier (1200/1000) to equip them to your monsters, which will force you to discard four cards from your deck for each of your monsters, one card for each of their levels." Enzeru nodded and did so, depositing the top sixteen cards to his graveyard. Although it was a harsh blow, he knew the duel would come to an end soon anyway.

"Now I play Steal the Sleepings Breath on your Guardian of the Archives!" Bakura laughed as Enzeru's monster was suddenly trapped within a stone tablet, its image carved into the front. Three tokens of light then emerged from the Archives and attached to the magicians, one of them even being absorbed into the lithograph. "This card seals up your monster and his protection effect, meaning I can once again use card effects to destroy your cards." Enzeru stepped back in surprise, having been caught off guard by this card. "Also, your monster can only be released upon death, and when that happens you will lose an extra five hundred Life Points."

Looking at his hand of five cards, Bakura quickly chose one. "Decay forces one card linked to the turn count to instantly fade away, meaning your Swords of Revealing Light will perish rather prematurely." he laughed as all three of the swords exploded, leaving a clear path for Zork, and Enzeru noticed that even the mammoth of darkness was chuckling at the futility of the situation. "Zork, attack Master of the Archives now!"

Raising his palm above Enzeru's field, Zork released a funnel of black magic that quickly descended upon the monster. The intense force produced by the spinning of the magic caused Enzeru's two attack mode monsters to raise their arms to try and hold the wind back, but to no avail. Even Enzeru began to have trouble breathing, the excitement in the air pressing on his chest, keeping his lungs from expanding while the air itself was simply to hard to catch in his mouth.

"I-" Enzeru was cut off by a sharp blast of wind as the funnel touched down on the ground around Enzeru's monster. However, after a second, the funnel was pushed back, a growing sphere of light forcing it off of the magician. Soon the cyclone had been pushed back far enough that Enzeru could breath normally. "Because I have all three Archive magicians on the field, I can activate the effect of one of them, and in this case I chose my Master, who allows me to sacrifice all magic counters on my field to negate your attack and raise my Life Points by five hundred per counter!" The twister instantly died as streams of light moved from the other magician and from the stone carving, increasing the strength of the shield. "Also, I activate my face down card, Philosophy of Magic, which doubles the number of magic counters on my field in exchange for one thousand Life Points. I had nine magic counters on each of my magicians, thanks in part to the two magic cards you just played, so that now goes up to eighteen each."

Enzeru-33500/Bakura-0

"I grow weary of you people trying to be heros." Bakura growled, ending his turn, setting one card face down as he did so. "Why can't you just let me do as I please?"

"Because I don't want innocent people to suffer.' Enzeru explained. "When innocent people are hurt as a result of someone else's greed, it causes more greed, leading to hatred and chaos, and I don't want to live in a world full of suffering."

"Then die!"

"You first." Enzeru countered, drawing his cards. "Hell-Heaven will revive one of the cards I discarded last turn, Disintao-Elder Mage (2300 +300/1700) in attack mode, and he gains attack points from my Archives of Magic!" Again the older magician appeared, his staff at the ready. Enzeru then chose one of the six cards in his hand. "I activate Order of the Archives, granting each of my magicians magic counters equal to their level, plus one for playing the magic card, after I discard two cards." Dropping two cards into his graveyard, Enzeru watched as the pyramidal structure issued four magic counters to each of Kai's Archive magicians (each of which was still possessed and weakened by one of Bakura's demons) but five continued to circle Disintao, as if confused. "Sadly, Disintao is unable to hold magic counters, so I shall instead place those counters on my Master of the Archives." (Master-3400)(Envoy-1900)(Guardian-1300)

"Next I will play Magic of the Soul to sacrifice my three Archive magicians and add their attack points to Disintao. In exchange, I will receive five hundred damage for each of the sacrificed monsters. However, because I am sacrificing these monsters they are freed from your possession, and so they the regain the twelve hundred attack points each that you took from them. Also, I will take five hundred damage from your Steal the Sleepings Breath."

Enzeru-31500/Bakura-0

The three named magicians each faded into nothing, their robes falling formlessly to the ground, instantly becoming soaked with blood. Three lights then charged into Disintao's staff, which began to vibrate violently with the power. (Disintao-13100)

"Disintao, attack! Destroy his dark god and bring me closer to victory!" Enzeru shouted. Barely able to control the massive force, the mage gladly aimed at Zork and fired.

"Go face down card!" Bakura shouted. Enzeru violently reprimanded himself for having overlooked that card, but waited to see what it would be. "Defilement of the Impure allows Zork to turn your magical attack into negative energy, which he can manipulate, draining your magician of his powers until he reaches zero."

Instantly the snake appendage of Zork snapped its head up, opening its seemingly limitless jaws and slithering into position between Zork and Enzeru's monster. The bright light struck the serpent head-on, but the demon didn't even flinch, simply swallowing the attack, turning the energy black as it consumed. Disintao, realizing the error, tried to stop the attack, but no matter what he did, he couldn't pull his staff away from that attack stance, nor could he prevent the energy from flowing. Soon his body became much older and feeble until he reached the point that there was no life in him, and the energy finally stopped and his body fell to the ground. (Disintao-0)

"Now Zork, counter attack!" Bakura ordered. The God of Darkness raised a fist into the air, a dark cloud of energy forming around it. Then, swinging down, he struck the earth, creating a crevice in the earth which expanded until it swallowed up Enzeru's last monster. The shockwave continued, however, and flung Enzeru into the air several feet and then bringing him back down on his stomach.

Kai-21500/Bakura-0

"Now it's my turn, and you have to remove a monster from your graveyard from play." Bakura laughed as Enzeru struggled to reach his Duel Disk and take the card it had ejected, which was a level four monster, and sliding it into his back pocket.

Enzeru-20300/Bakura-0

Drawing, Bakura looked over his hand and made a decision. "It's just about time to finish you off, and this time, you wont come back." Taking the middle card, he inserted it into his Duel Disk. "Storm of Desolation forces me to discard my entire hand, but in exchange your entire field will be destroyed." Slipping his cards into his graveyard, Bakura watched, rather amused as black winds and lightnings ravaged Enzeru's field completely while the young man continued to lay on his stomach, struggling to get back up. His face down card as well as his Treasure of the Guardian Goddess and Archives of Magic. "Storm of Desolation also forces you to discard your entire hand, plus cards from your deck equal to the number of empty card zones you had on the field when I played the card." Enzeru moaned as seven cards and the two in his hand were lifted into the air by some unseen force and then dropped into his cemetery.

"I also discarded a card that now activates. It's called Rage Against the Light, and it doubles Zorks attack power for this turn." Bakura suddenly broke into mad hysterics as his monster's muscles began to bulge and ripple as more power was fed into him by the magic card. (Zork-20000) "Zork, attack!" Opening his mouth, Zork issued a massive wall of black flames, as did the snake head, both strikes hitting Enzeru and throwing him back even further.

Enzeru-300/Bakura-0

"And now my turn is over." Bakura continued to laugh in hysterics as Enzeru pushed against the earth, his fingers curling together in his effort. Looking up, he stared into the eyes of the dark god and shuddered. Then he looked to Bakura, who should have lost time and time again, and yet because of the rules of this game, he couldn't. Enzeru had given it his all. He didn't have anything left to fight back with.

_"Kai, please, fight on! You can't give up! You can't lose! If you do, we'll lose each other!"_ Enzeru's two different colored eyes snapped open, the pupil tightening with focus. _"Let's go home, together."_ Etsu's voice continued. Turning his head slightly, he saw it, right next to Bakura, was the blue crystal that he knew was Etsu, the person protected by the most Life Points, because she was the one he cared most about.

Propping himself up on his left elbow, Enzeru placed his middle and index finger from his right hand on top of his deck. Instantly he felt warmth and power surge through him. This would be the deciding card, and the deciding play. In a flash of blue light, Enzeru drew while at the same time rising to one knee, looking straight ahead while the single card in his possession was at the right.

"This is the end for you, Bakura!" Enzeru shouted, looking into his drawn card with fervor. "I use Hell-Heaven to revived Time Mage (2400/2500) in attack mode!" Stalwart and ready for battle, Enzeru's magician appeared, staff at the ready and magic pulsing from his very core.

"Hell-Heaven?" Bakura asked, utterly confused. "How? I destroyed it."

"There's a card in my graveyard, Bakura." Enzeru explained, turning around a card that was in his right hand. "Archives of Magic. When it's in my graveyard, I can return one magic card to my field that was destroyed/discarded before activation or that is continuous." Enzer explained. Bakura merely looked and gawked, unable to think of any kind of response. Enzeru continued, not caring what Bakura thought he wanted to say.

"I play Oracle of Resurrection! I must discard my entire hand, but since I hold no cards, that's not a problem. Next I will select from my deck five cards of my choice, and also I may now summon any level six or higher monster from my graveyard to the field, but must pay two hundred Life Points every turn that the selected monster in is play. But that wont be a problem, because there is no next turn to pay."

Ejecting his deck, Enzeru began to shift through, searching for the desired cards. Without and trouble or hesitation he found what he was looking for, and then snapped the few cards that remained into his Duel Disk.

"Now my magic card revives Guardian of Time (2400/2500), who was discarded from my hand last turn, in attack mode." The blue robed mage appeared, his staff also set at the ready. Once more the two quantum masters stood at Enzeru's side, ready to hear his commands and unleash the furry of time itself.

"These magicians are perhaps the ones most closely bonded to my soul, but now I must part with them so that I can create an even greater power." At this, the two sorcerers bowed their heads in reverence and understanding of what Enzeru meant. "I sacrifice Guardian of Time and Time Mage to summon a magician whose mastery of time has enabled him the ability to surpass eternity itself." The two magicians became swirls of light, intertwining with one another as Enzeru spoke. "And now I invoke his power so that I may eliminate you from eternity!"

The two swirls of light halted and became one, and a single flash of light blinded both players for a second, yet neither flinched. Enzeru looked on firmly, with unrivaled resolve. Bakura looked on with disdain, perhaps even a spark of potential fear. As the light faded, Enzeru stared with reverence, while Bakura gaped.

Levitating in the air above the two stood a tall figure, taller than most magicians in the game, was Enzeru's monster. He was adorned in robes of white, silver and light blue. They were not armored like that of the Dark Magician or Breaker, but rather simply hung, appearing both simple and exquisite. His hair was silver, sparkling with a light that he himself emanated. His eyes were a similar silver, only they were hard and focused. Finally, clasped in his right fist was a staff, simple in nature, except for the head, which was adorned with a crescent moon, the open section facing to the side. Within that crescent was a three-dimensional star with numerous points. In ths shaft of the stave, just inches bellow the crescent, was a glass cylinder with a small hourglass within it.

"Eternity Mage (2700/2700)!" Enzeru shouted as they both continued to stare at the magician, who continued to stare down at the field, his dominance supreme. Then he eyed Zork, the being of pure darkness, and it seemed as though his stare could pierce through Zork and his darkness and behold his very existence, from beginning to end.

"That may be impressive, Enzeru, but Zork far surpasses your Eternity Mage. He is nothing to me and my darkness!" Bakura laughed, his fear dissipating.

"You're wrong, Bakura." Enzeru called. "I told you that you would face both my wrath, but also the wrath of those I've defeated here at Battle City. You're facing more than one duelist, Bakura, and each of us has an inner light of hope. Your darkness can only consume and cover up light for a period of time. But Eternity Mage can see beyond that small point in time, and so can bring the lights together from every point of their existence! And with that light, your darkness will be dispelled and shattered! That is what measures the difference between you and I! You can only push me down with fear and pain, but I can annihilate you because I can face my past and look on to the future!"

"Really? Then show me, please. Not that you have a chance. Not even the Creator of Light-Horakti had the power to destroy me, so what makes you think this mortal creature can?" Bakura sneered, casting a smug glance at Enzeru's monster.

"Mortal?" Enzeru scoffed."He's an eternal being, far beyond the capacities of mortality." Bakura still did not seem to be all the impressed. "Let me show you." Enzeru said, playing one of the cards in his hand onto his field. "I play Effect Economics! This means I can play my cards without having to pay Life Points!" Bakura shrugged at this, already well aware of what the card did and obviously not finding such a card to be a threat. After all, Enzeru only had three cards in his hand, and no number of Life Points could topple Zork and his ten thousand attack points. But it would still be amusing to see what Enzeru would try.

"I play Spell Accounting! This card allows me to pay Life Points in increments of two hundred to add one magic counter to one monster on my field per increment. So now, I will pay infinite Life Points thanks to my Effect Economics card to grant Eternity Mage infinite magic counters!" As he spoke, a bright light ignited all around Enzeru's monster, and millions of smaller lights could be seen flowing to him, with no end to them in sight.

"It's still no stronger." Bakura observed, realizing that these magic counters did not raise the attack points of Enzeru's monster. If they had, there would have been hell to pay.

"Not in attack points, but his true powers are now at their maximum." Enzeru declared, his voice dripping with power and determination. "Eternity Mage has three effects that I may activate by sacrificing magic counters. And now it is time to use those abilities and to crush Zork were he stands." Enzeru grabbed one of the last cards in his hand and shoved it into his Duel Disk. "I activate the continuous magic card, Endless Era."

"What's the point? Your monster hasn't changed at all." Bakura shot back in annoyance at Enzeru's maneuver. All the boy was doing now was wasting his time.

"Eternity Mage, attack Zork-God of Darkness now!" Without so much as blinking, the magician raised his staff, the head of which was glowing with a new kind of power, unlike any Enzeru had ever witnessed before. It was as if he could behold Time in some sort of tangible form. With silence and nobility, the man released the extent of his wrath in the form of that energy, which lanced towards Zork with lightning speed, yet the dark god did nothing but raise his left forearm to protect him, absorbing the blast effectively. He then extended his right palm and fired a blast of pure black light which consumed the magician.

"Victory is mine!" Bakura laughed as he watched the dark energy continue to flow. "Yes Zork, let your rage flow! Show the mortals how unstoppable you are!"

"Think so?" Enzeru's voice reached above the dark flames, hitting Bakura with new found levels of shock. Instantly the black fire dissipated and Enzeru could be seen standing strong behind a translucent barrier. "Endless Era allows me to sacrifice three magic counters from my field to block an instance of damage I would take. Again, having infinite counters, I can afford this."

"And why did you bother? Sure, you've spared your Life Points, but you just lost your monster."

"Except I didn't." Enzeru explained, pointing to the air between him and Zork's hand. Bakura also turned his gaze, and choked in shock at seeing Eternity Made still floating there. Before he could ask, though, Enzeru was answering the inevitable question. "When Eternity Mage is in battle and would be destroyed, I may sacrifice two magic counters from him to keep him in play."

"I see. But it does you no good. Zork is still strong and your Endless Era is now useless, since the monster who held all your magic counters is now gone."

"But Zork isn't as strong now as he was a few seconds ago." Enzeru interjected. In confusion, Bakura looked at Zork, who was actually glaring at the arm that Eternity Mage had struck, and was nursing it, as if in pain. Once again, Enzeru was answering the question before it could be asked. "When Eternity Mage fails to kill a monster is battles, I can remove five magic counters to deduct his attack total from the monster he battled. So now Zork will lose twenty-seven hundred attack points (7300)."

"And yet Zork remains. Next turn I'll use his special ability to destroy your Mage, making your Endless Era useless!" the thief king mocked, his laughter echoing from the shadowy walls.

"No, because you wont be taking another turn." Enzeru once again declared, he voice now more bold than it had been before. "I said Eternity Mage has three effects. That's two. Now for the third one: I can sacrifice three magic counters to attack again!"

Bakura took a second to take this information in, and then took a step back in fear. "And because Eternity Mage holds infinite magic counters..." he trailed off, realizing what this meant.

"Exactly!" Enzeru confirmed the unspoken fact. "Eternity Mage, Infinite Assault!" Raising his staff, the master of time began to release volley after volley of magic, each one striking Zork and burning a new hole in his shadowed form, each time draining it more and more of it's attack power. (4600-1900-0)

"No!" Bakura screamed as his dark god was beaten upon. "No! I cannot allow this! I will not let three thousand years of revenge and planning go to waste!"

"There's nothing you can do, Bakura!" Enzeru called, grabbing a card from his hand. "Now, go to Hell! Eternity Mage, end it! Eternity Tempest!" With a final sweep of his staff, the sorcerer unleashed a hail of magic that struck the now lifeless body of Zork, dissolving the remains of his body.

Enzeru-300/Bakura-0

Instantly, Enzeru grabbed another card from his hand. "Go quick-play magic card, Eternity Tempest!" Again Eternity Mage fired his attack, but the stream of energy seemed to halt in the air between the two monsters. The magician then fired again, and the second attack hit the first, but instead of destroying each other, they absorbed one another. Again the mage fired, and the sphere grew again. "This card allows Eternity Mage to combine his multiple attacks into one. Since Eternity Mage can attack infinitely, I can create an attack loop to deal you infinite damage, which will enable me to destroy the final Kioku!" The stream of light continued to pour over Bakura's body as the final crystal began to crack and break down from the pressure of the spell. After a few seconds, although they seemed like forever, the crystal finally broke down into dust, fading from plain view as they fell to the earth.

"And now that I've beaten you, Bakura, I will do what should have been done eons ago! I banish you from all of existence!" Bakura screamed again as Enzer made this declaration, and the Darkness Realm began to follow the directions, complying with Enzeru's declared Punishment. Finally, someone had figured out the method to prevent Bakura from ever returning. Slowly he felt his very essence being wiped away from the charts of time. He was being erased! Erased from eternity!

Bakura screamed. Enzeru heard him scream. Then there was silence.

Storms form from pockets of weather, whether they be cold pockets of snow and ice, or heated ones of thunder and flames. But in the end, by natural law, they either die down or swallow each other. There is an eye of the storm, when it seems to be over, only to begin again, abruptly and violently. Storms always seem to punish the innocent, taking from them what they cannot replace and instill within a new strength. A person learns from experiences with the storms, and although they may lose their house or a whole city, they still progress a new, stronger person after the storm has passed, because they are forced to leave their weaknesses behind, in the storm.

The storm had passed. Looking back, Enzeru realized that many storms ended in that instant. The firestorm that was his guilt and anger was gone. The blizzard of isolation had melted. The thunderstorm of tears and sorrow had ceased. The windstorm of the Darkness Game faded. The hailstorm of Bakura was halted and beaten back by the tempest of Enzeru Eitai, the Angel of Time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

There it is. This is the end of Battle City, my friends, and in the end, Kai Kaethan lost to the storm, and out walked Enzeru Eitai, stronger and wiser. But what about the strange dreams Kai had? Or the mysterious Nikolas Selket? And why is Tenken still so unnerved?

_Next Time-Epilogue-Ascend to a Heaven on Earth_

Original Cards-

Kai- Time is My Enemy, Master of the Archives, Envoy of the Archives, Guardian of the Archives, Archives of Magic, Tempus Sorceress, Veil of Time, Magicians Creed, Elixir of Soul, Magical Renaissance, Philosophy of Magic, Order of the Archives, Magic of the Soul, Time Mage, Guardian of Time, Oracle of Resurrection, Gates of Time, Endless Era, Eternity Mage, Eternity Tempest

Bakura- Zork-God of Darkness, Grasp the Dark, Defile the Impure, Rage Against the Light, Nightwraith, Nightstalker, Storm of Desolation

By Seeker of the Soul- Effect Economics, Spell Accounting

By G.O.T.Nick- Disintao-Elder Mage

It has been a long time coming, my friends. I've lost some of you along the way, and I gained others later on. You all came for different reasons, just like the duelists of Battle City, and you will all walk away different from one another, some thinking they've grown, while others may feel no different. In the end, my objective was not to touch hearts or minds, but just to put something out there that could be fun for me to write and fun for all of you to read. Something that was at least legible, while at the same time inventive and entertaining. That is why I pushed events in certain directions, and why I often didn't seem to catch certain details, but I do want to work on that so that the sequel will be more enjoyable on your guys parts.

You all have been critical to my success here. I never expected that I cold get close to two hundred reviews, and yet I have. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. You guys kept up the faith, even when I got discouraged and would go for months without updating. Some of you had direct hands in helping this story come to fruitation, and others did it without even meaning to, let alone realizing. As such, I want to personally thank each of you who has stuck with me to this, the end.

First off is Aldea. I know she never actually really got into this story and never reviewed, but still, if it weren't for her brilliant story, I never could have thought of this story, and quite possibly wouldn't have thought of the hundreds of original cards that I have used. Rock on, Aldea, and may you update some day soon.

Second, Seeker of the Soul (thegymrat). After I got this story rolling, Seeker was my greatest source of inspiration and encouragement. He's been with me from the beginning, both helping on AIM, sending me original cards over email, and by just being such a good writer himself. Just by reading his work, I've managed to make this story flow so much better. It's such a crime that so few people go and read his stories. I mean, if you like my stuff, you can't help but worship his. So many of my characters were helped in their development based on the example that Seeker has set for me. Yeah, his stories are a bit long, but so is mine in the end. His are just better. By a lot. I tip my hat, bow my head, fall on my knees, and offer tribute to the great Seeker of the Soul. May he prosper for eternities to come.

G.O.T.Nick is third. Another loyal reviewer who has been with me since I started this tale, Nick was the one who created Nick Freeman/Nikolas Selket (That will all be explained in the sequel), as well as Disintao, a new favorite of mine. Nick's quirky style of writing gave me a smile whenever I needed it, and his characters have helped me to be a bit more out of the box with decks (Like making a competitive Dark Scorpion deck). I salute Nick and his works, both those that are complete and those that aren't so complete.

The Helldragon has been loyal for some time as well. Although often picking at my careless mistakes, which were normally made because I was outrageously tired or just because I'm human, and always pretty quirky and perhaps even narcissistic, he has still been loyal and supportive. Good luck in getting back into the writing circle, man. And don't worry, Matt will get his cameo.

Noble Paladin joined the ranks of my reviewers only a little more than a year ago, but he's been one of the most supportive people out there. He has never questioned my judgement and has shown me that romance can be useful in a story, so long as it is controlled and manipulated correctly. That, and the fact that he worships my characters makes him a valuable sacrifice-I mean puppet-I mean reader. Keep it up, man.

Of course, the reviewer who surprised me most was WolfGeneral. Last fall, out of nowhere I get this review and glance at the guys story, but didn't pay it too much mind. But then I noticed come of my friends getting into his stuff, so I gave it a try, and I gotta say I was really impressed. The guy somehow has the power to update like a factory, and still do college. I'm still trying to figure it out. In the end, WolfGeneral has been a fabulous reviewer and a great read as well, even though I've lost touch with some of his more current stuff. However, if ever spawned a writer with a large fallowing that keeps on growing, its him. Peace, man.

Another pleasant surprise came in the reviews I got from MatrixFighter. Although always short and specific, they were nonetheless supportive. Plus, he's the only one to get the correct scene from the Etsu duel.

The White Mage has been interesting to get reviews from. He's had some good things to say and has put up with my own awkward style, so go him.

John and Demon Fan, perhaps my two most recent fans, have been loyal just the same, even though some times really hard to understand or just plain weird, but I appreciate them in the end anyways.

I think that just about covers it. There were, of course, other random reviewers who didn't keep up with the story, but it happens, I suppose. Again, thank you all.


	26. Ascend to a Heaven on Earth

Here we go. Here's the epilogue to Battle City. Here is where it all ends.

**Epilogue-Ascend to a Heaven on Earth**

The word sin originated in the land known as Europe as an archers way of saying that they had missed their target. It was later used by religious leaders as a way of saying that an individual had trespassed the will of their God, or that they had missed the target of righteousness.

_Thud!_

An eighteen inch shaft wobbled around in the matted target at the back end of a large fenced in yard. The bolt had sunk directly into the center of the target, three more around it, all four within the golden circle.

Grabbing another arrow from his back, Kai Kaethan knocked it in his bow, lifted it, and aimed, only to find a lock of silver hair in his eye. Loosening the bow, he reached up and pushed the strands of hair out of his way. Raising the bow again to the attacking position, he fired, the fifth arrow striking directly to the left-hand side of the fourth, appearing from the distance to be a single arrow. Reaching back for a sixth, Kai froze.

"It's been six months, Kai. Or should I say Enzeru?" Turning, Kai was faced by a man only a few years older than him in a black sued shirt hanging open over a white one. The newcomers hair was thick and long, reaching to his mid-back.

Returning the arrow to his back, Kai straightened his archers haiori and placed his bow on the ground. Returning his attention to the visitor, looked the man in the eye. "Tenken, what can I do for you?"

"You did well, Enzeru." Tenken continued, stepping forward. "You've grown significantly since we first did battle."

"What do you want, Tenken?" Kai demanded. "Where were you when I was getting killed?"

"Two questions with overlapping answers." the Guardian explained. "After I dueled you I went in search of other Guardians. I've found the other four, and they've all accepted their fates, and are waiting for a day that I may need each of you."

"And why did you choose me first?" Kai asked, shaking his silver hair, an attribute he had come to accept as permanent.

"Because I understood that if you were to face Bakura, you would need more power than you had at the time to do it." Tenken explained. "But also, if I should need the Guardians, it is important that the Guardian of Time be the first to emerge, because he has the memories needed to give all of the Guardians their full strength." Kai nodded, accepting this fact as reasonable enough.

"Tenken, I have to ask you something." Kai caught the older fellow, who had turned his back suddenly, as if planning to leave. Reaching down to a bag on the ground, Kai withdrew his Millennium Rod. "Ever since the duel with Bakura, I've been feeling its powers waning."

"I know." Tenken nodded. "That is not the true Millennium Rod." Kai looked down at the item in surprise. "The Millennium Items disappeared one hundred years ago, and they wont be coming back. That was created by you when your powers spiked on that archaeological dig, the grounds were you were working pulsing with power. Your unconscious self couldn't control the power, and so it created a sort of extra arm of power that you could understand, in the shape of an item that you understood to be magical. However, now that you are beginning to master your power, you don't need it any more. The magic has been flowing back into you." And with that, Tenken Arashi vanished from before Kai's eyes.

"Master Kai," a voice startled the young man. Turning his head to his house, Kai took note of his families butler. They had never been rich, but their living, plus a humble inheritance, had enabled them a large house -not a mansion- with a few luxuries. Of course, after his parents death, the kind old man Zetsui had refused to abandon Kai, and was now working nearly for free, plus room and board. "You have a visitor. Shall I show him out here?"

"No, that's fine Zetsui. I'll meet him at the door." Kai answered, picking up his bow and began to walk back to the house when a figure filled the back door.

He was younger than Kai by three or four years. His hair was sleek and black, a few strands hanging down on either side of his face while most of it was tied into a tight ponytail in the back hanging straight down, but shorter than Kai's. He was dressed in a black hakama and a white gi with a red haori. Also, strapped to his belt were a katana and a wakizashi, and hanging from his wrist was a large white bottle.

"Vaun." Kai smiled, pleased to see his friend. Apparently Vaun hadn't wanted to wait and had followed Zetsui through the house. Pointing to the large flask, Kai asked "What's that? And what brings you here?"

Vaun answered both questions at once, raising his right arm, "Sake."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Resting her elbows on the sill of an open window, Etsu Akira looked out into the lovely sky, clouds sailing across the sun, casting the landscape between light and shadows.

"They need each other to make the other." she muttered under her breath. Of course, to her eyes only could be seen, imprinted in the sky the face of a young man with long black hair that slowly changed to silver.

She could remember well that night six months ago when she had fallen asleep after losing to Kai, and then she felt as though she were in a dream state, seeing Kai duel with her immortal soul on the line, her heart swelling when she realized that he was dueling for her! Then, after seeing Kai defeat his opponent she was awakened from her sleep, and her eyes came to behold Kai, only he had changed. His face had a new light in it, and his hair was silver. But beyond that, as he held her in his arms, he smiled!

"That was the first time I saw him smile in nearly ten years."

"Are you talking about that Kaethan boy?" her room mate asked her from the hallway as she passed the door.

"Oh, Asuka!" Etsu startled, her face flushing a bright crimson. "Um, well, yeah."

"Do you even know if he feels the same way about you?" the redhead asked, leaning her elbow against the doorframe.

They had been sharing this house with a few other school friends for a year or two now, and it hadn't taken any other the girls to find out about Etsu's obsession with Kai. Although none of them wanted to admit it, they had all at one time or another felt a sort of attraction for Kai. He had just been so..._Good_ that you really couldn't help but have a fantasy or two about him. Of course, none of them had ever had it as bad as Etsu, who had her own romance novel written in her diary.

"It's not that easy." Etsu giggled. "And, besides..." she trailed off, turning to the clouds again. _'I want to come forward on his terms.'_

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Damn it!" Kevin hunter shouted, pounding his fist onto the small table in the rickety apartment he now had. He had used up most of the money his parents had left him just trying to survive in America and in getting to Japan. Rather than use up the last bit to go back home, he had used some contacts he still had there to sell what little he had left and had decided that, for the moment, he'd stay in Japan.

"I can't believe I lost my father card! That was all that I had left! That was what defined my life!" he vented. Even though six months had passed, his anger still boiled ferociously within him. "Well, I'll get it back, even if I have to make a deal with the devil himself, I'll get that card back. Nothings gonna stop me!"

Much to his annoyance, his dark ranting was cut short by a light knock at the door. Forcing his anger to dissipate, he walked over to the door and opened it, and was pleased to be greeted by Sakura Haeru. She had a small bag hanging under her arms, and her Duel Disk in the standby position on her left arm.

"Sakura." he startled. "What a surprise. Do you want to come in?"

"No, I'm fine." she said with a dismissive tone. "I just came to say goodbye."

"Goodbye?" Kevin repeated, unsure of what she meant. "Where are you going?"

"Dueling your friend Kai made me realize that there's a lot for me to learn about the world. I can't keep on thinking that for one reason or another that the world is going to just fall into place for me. I was going to go on a journey and try to learn about everything I've missed over the last fifteen years. I just couldn't leave without seeing you first."

"But...Why did you come after all this time, just to say that?" Kevin asked, trying to make sense of all this. Why was she leaving him?

"Because," he struggled to find the words. "I love you, and I wanted you to know where I was." Turning, she began to walk away, leaving Kevin Hunter in the door of his apartment.

"Wait Sakura!" he shouted. Turning her heard, she was surprised to find him running to catch up to her. "I have some things to learn myself."

"What are you saying?" she asked.

"We'll make this journey," he smiled. "Together."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"We've just received news that the Cairo Museum of Ancient Egyptian History has discovered that they're missing the Scarabs of Souls, three jeweled beetles of gold, each encrusted with a different gem, have gone missing. However, no traces have been found that could possibly help to identify the culprit, and so the police are once again left without-" the television switched off as the figure in the room lay the remote on the bedside table.

In an elaborate hotel room in one of the most luxurious hotels in Rome lay a young man, nearly nineteen, dressed in desert clothes with an eyepatch lay out on his bed. The clerks had acted rather suspicious when he payed for his room in hard cash instead of with a credit card, but when he also lay before her a pair of shimmering pearl earrings, she had shut up with her questions and checked him in.

"Normally, it's just the challenge I want. And when they can't even challenge me, that's when I play for keeps." he laughed lightly, glancing at the white desert cloak he had left hanging from a hook in the room.

"A few months back, I might not have been able to pull t hat heist. I think these powers are spoiling me." he noted. Then he rolled his one good eye up while resting he head on the pillow, as if pondering this thought. "Nah. I am Nikolas Selket, Thief King of the Desert. No one can keep anything from me."

Reaching with his right hand to click off the light, his eyes glanced at the tattoo he had gotten printed above his elbow. It was a simple work, and looked ridged, much like a stone carving from the ancient world. It was black, and shaped like a scorpion.

XXXXXXXXXX

Sipping some tea, Kai looked up at Vaun, who had poured a second dish of rice wine to try and quench his thirst. Apparently life had been exciting for the descendent of Japans greatest swordsmen. He had been working to re-establish the temple where he had been taught and that he had inherited when the final Master had died. It was slow, as most of the world was more interested in trying to restore life to the desecrated land, but Vaun persevered. His families traditions had survived this long, and he saw no reason to drop them now.

Finally, Kai set his tea cup down and looked the boy samurai in the eye.

"You know, I feel like a new man since I told you that I don't drink." Kai admitted. "Let us make this a reunion of men." he declared, grabbing a small bowl from the matts next to them and placing it on the ground between them. "Pour the sake."

_The End..._

This is it, my friends. This is the official end of my Battle City Arc. I'm going to take some time to try and get the college life back on track, but also to try and better outline the plot for the next arc. Sadly, I don't even have a title for it yet. However, my plan is to start posting it, at the latest, on October 23, 2005, the two year anniversary of when I started this story. Now, I'm not saying that it's definite that I'll start it that day. I may begin is sooner. Keep your eyes open for it, because I plan to take this who community by storm!

Also, I forgot two very important readers last night, and would like to take a minute to give them both a shout-out.

SulliMike23 is a guy who's kinda like the tides of the ocean, coming in strong and then going away for some time and then repeating. He's also been around for a long time, but haven't heard from him in a few chapters. Hope you're still there Mike. Keep it alive, man.

Gearfried the Iron Angel has been a good friend for the past little while. Although he only get's to read and review in small blocks of time, his reviews are nonetheless appreciated and welcomed. Plus he writes a mean story, although a bit of an informal style. Still, it's imaginative and exciting, and I appear in it, so it's all good. Keep the heart of the dragon beating in that suit of Iron, Aaron.

Well, that's really all I have to say to you guys. Remember, stay on the lookout. See ya!


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